An Ohio lawmaker has introduced a bill to require middle and high schools to teach students what鈥檚 known as the 鈥淪uccess Sequence.鈥�
The Success Sequence - graduate high school, get a job, get married, then have kids, in that order - is a concept that鈥檚 gained popularity under that name over the last decade. It鈥檚 based on evidence showing people who follow this order are far less likely to end up in poverty.
Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) said it should be taught in Ohio鈥檚 middle and high schools.
鈥淏y doing those three things, you create the opportunity for success," Cutrona said.
Cutrona said the program is not religious-based, though conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute have embraced the concept.
The influential Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) praised Cutrona鈥檚 bill.
鈥淭he goal of this legislation is simple. When we invest in building strong children, we can save some of the expense of rebuilding broken adults,鈥� said CCV Policy Director David Mahan. 鈥淓ncouraging education, hard work, and the importance of marriage and family helps reduce the risk of ever falling into poverty, and a whole host of other negative outcomes, in the first place.鈥�
How does this bill work?
is just two pages long. It would require the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to develop standards and a model curriculum about the success sequence for grades 6 to 12. The legislation said the department must use evidence based on the best research available. Schools would then be required to work the basics of that program into their schools. Parents, students and school leaders would be allowed to be part of the process of reviewing and deciding elements of that curriculum.
鈥淲e want local input, local control on top of this. So we want to include parents, we want to include the school boards, we want to include school districts and the education, the State Board of Education, you want that workforce. We want to make sure everybody is involved. Full discussion. Let鈥檚 figure out some curriculum and move forward as a state," Cutrona said.
Cutrona said schools will have flexibility to determine how they want to implement this new mandate.
The bill has just been introduced and has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee.
A similar bill passed Thursday in Tennessee, and another was signed into law in Utah. Texas, Kentucky and Mississippi are considering a Success Sequence proposal for schools.