Local Leaders Standing Up for Educational Choice

Former Louisiana Senator Ann Duplessis wonders how educational choice may have affected her life, had it been available earlier in Louisiana.  Years ago, her father was killed.

“He was shot five times for seven dollars.  The two men who killed him were dropouts.  They had no opportunities in life, so they were surviving,” Duplessis said, “If they had choice, perhaps my father and others would still be alive.”

Duplessis’ heart-wrenching story is why she went from fighting against the scholarship program to fighting for it throughout her community.  But the battle was, and still is, very difficult, since she says providing educational choice often boils down to money.

Kevin Chavous, executive counsel for the American Federation for Children, joined Duplessis to take on that question during the 2013 AFC National Policy Summit’s breakout session on how local leaders stand up for educational choice.

“What’s the goal—to prop up a system or to educate children?  Instead of trying to prop up a system that may or may not be working, we should be supporting the system that works for the children,” Chavous said.

The system that works best for children—and one that is worth paying for—is one with competition, according to educational choice champion former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot.

“As a lawyer, what if I came to work between 11 and 1, charged a rate you couldn’t afford, all because I was the only game in town?” Vinroot said.  “Competition is what makes me a better lawyer, and competition is what makes the system better.  That’s what made America great, is competition.”

All the panelists agreed: competition is what will force improvement in schools across the nation; it’s also what will make the schools themselves worth taxpayer money, and it is what will create the quality education all children deserve.

Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.

The Power of Choice

Right now, today.  Go big, and go bold.  That was the appeal from the AFC’s executive counsel, Kevin P. Chavous, during lunch at the 2013 AFC National Policy Summit.  Chavous praised victories across the country, where five educational choice programs have been created since last year, and five have been expanded during the same time period.

“People know by now we know how to fight, and fight we will,” Chavous said.One D.C. mother who knows better than anyone about fighting for a quality education is Sheila Jackson, who also addressed the crowd at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in Maryland.  Her daughter, Shawnee, struggled in her old school until fourth grade.

“She was intimidated by math.  [The school] didn’t want to do anything with me to help my daughter.  One of her former teachers informed me of the Opportunity Scholarship Program.  She was given a tutor to bring her up in math, and now math is her strong subject,” Jackson said.  “I will continue to advocate for this program even after Shawnee graduates out, because I believe every child deserves to be in an environment that works for them.”

As a testament to the power of Jackson’s ability to choose the education that best fit her daughter, Shawnee just graduated as valedictorian from her high school!  She is now headed to college at St. Augustine University, and Chavous calls her story a testament to the power of overcoming the status quo.

Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.

AFC Policy Summit: Off to a Great Start!

So many people filled the room at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland for the first break-out session at the AFC’s 2013 National Policy Summit that the hotel had to bring in stacks of chairs to accommodate!

What they heard from AFC’s national government affairs director Jonathan Nikkila during the first break-out session shows promising growth across the nation: states with already-established educational choice programs are growing bigger and bolder.  From coast to coast, there are 34 educational programs that have expanded to add thousands of students during the past year, thanks to increased bipartisan support.

Additionally, even legal challenges can be seen as a positive, according to Dick Komer with the Institute for School Justice, who has worked over the past year to defend programs in five states.

“This is a nice indicator of the broad interest in school choice,” Komer said.

Choice programs have so far been successfully defended from litigation in three states: Texas, Colorado, and Indiana.  Komer is hopeful pending litigation in New Hampshire will bring a victory for the state’s business tax credit program.

“School choice is no longer this crazy idea.  It’s a very serious threat [to the status quo],” Komer said, “But on your side, you have us.”

If you can’t make it to the summit, you can live stream each session by going to the AFC Policy Summit website and clicking on the “Live Stream” box.

We’ll have more updates from the summit throughout the day on our blog, Twitter, and YouTube!

4th Annual AFC National Policy Summit Starts Monday

The 2013 AFC National Policy Summit officially kicks off on Monday!

With recently-approved expansions to the Indiana school choice program, a funding debate in Louisiana and momentum for new and expanded school choice programs across the country, there is no better time than now to take part in this year’s conference.

Every year, the Summit brings together education reform leaders, education choice advocates, lawmakers and researchers from every corner of the U.S. to discuss the momentum within the school choice movement.

This year’s keynote speakers include Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Olympic Gold Medalist and former WNBA star Lisa Leslie, former White House press secretary Mike McCurry and Donald Cardinal Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

Unable to travel to D.C. to take part in the year’s event?  Be sure to follow all of the action on Facebook and Twitter! We will be live tweeting from the event and continuously posting pictures and quotes on our Facebook page.  Follow along with the conversations on @schoolchoicenow #AFCPolicySummit and www.Facebook.com/SchoolChoiceNow

This is the time

We previously reported on April 10th School Choice Ohio rally that brought THOUSANDS of engaged Ohio parents, students and education reform activists to the steps of the Ohio Statehouse to show their support for school choice.

We wanted to share with you some fantastic video footage of AFC's Kevin P. Chavous addressing attendees at the rally on the need to stand up for education choice.  "This is the time for parents, students and families to stand up for children," said Chavous to the crowd. "Right now through educational choice, the only way you see change is when you put power in the hands of parents!"

Chavous showed his support for efforts made by Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio legislature to expand educational options.  Chavous said it is important that families have as many quality options as possible today, to adequately educate as many children as possible.

Check out Kevin's speech in its entirety below:

New Poll Shows Majority of Texas Voters Support School Choice

Support for private school choice programs is strong in the Lone Star State!  According to a recent poll conducted by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, majority of Texas voters support school vouchers. 

The polls found that overall, 66 percent of voters are supportive of vouchers, and only 27 percent oppose.  According to the poll results, the strongest support was among Latino voters with 80 percent in support of vouchers. 

The survey also found that 72 percent of voters are supportive of tax-credit scholarship programs, with 20 percent opposed.  

The poll, administered by Braun Research, Inc. was conducted March 19-27, 2013 through landline and cellphone interviews with over 600 Texas voters. 

Rice: "The key to not being trapped in the circumstances of your birth is a quality education"

Dr. Condoleezza Rice called educational choice the most important education reform she sees today, as more than 800 reformers, community business members, legislators and educators listened intently to the panel discussion at the 2013 Leadership for Change! Louisiana Education Excellence Summit.

“They key to not being trapped in the circumstances of your birth is a quality education,” Rice said.  “It doesn’t matter where you come from; it matters where you are going.”

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, writer and journalist Campbell Brown, Former California Democratic Majority Leader Dr. Gloria Romero and former Louisiana State Senator Ann Duplessis all joined in the panel discussions about education reform in Louisiana, with the American Federation for Children’s executive counsel Kevin Chavous moderating.

“What is NOT a measure of success is the same ol’, same ol’,” Chavous said.

That’s why Louisiana’s legislators are fighting hard this legislative session, which began April 8, to protect the landmark Louisiana Scholarship Program that was expanded by a bipartisan group of legislators in 2012.  It allows students from low-to-middle income families with students enrolled failing and low-performing schools to use a scholarship to attend the school of their choice.  Students entering kindergarten for the first time who meet the income limits are also eligible.

Former Secretary of State Rice told the audience that Korean children learn in third grade what children in fifth grade learn in the United States, “even in the best of schools.”  Rice encouraged everyone to remember to fight back against the pervasive soft bigotry of low expectations when it comes to K-12 education.

That’s precisely why Gloria Romero said Louisiana’s education reforms are key: “If you don’t educate, you will incarcerate.  We’re spending all this money to lock up the failed result of our public education system.”

Despite bills taking aim at the Louisiana Scholarship Program during this year’s legislative session, Governor Jindal is standing strong to protect the reforms that are serving nearly 5,000 children across Louisiana.

“We’ll pass these reforms as many times as it takes to provide the kids of Louisiana with a quality education,” Jindal said.