At the Century Mark, The Top 5 Blog Posts (So Far)

This entry marks a mini-milestone of sorts for us, as it represents our 100th blog entry here on School Choice Now! Considering the following we've gathered for an endeavor that began just a few short months ago, we wanted to thank you for continuing to return to our blog, and we hope we'll continue to provide interesting and thoughtful content that will keep you coming back.

Now, with that...what have y'all enjoyed most? Some of the posts probably might not surprise you, but some will. It's not shock that you seem to enjoy posts about well-known figures, as well as posts that are passionate. You like hearing about breaking news, and stories that are more man-bites-dog than dog-bites-man usually do well, too.

But enough summarizing. Take a look at our list below of our Top 5 all-time blog posts (so far).

5. "Agnostic As to the Delivery Mechanism" (July 12, 2011)

What Was It? Inspired by a quote from Michelle Rhee, we made clear that our support was not for a certain system of education, but for an education system that works. We don't care what it's called or how it's structured as long as it works. The reality is that school choice is a proven reform, hence the commitment we have to expanding it across the country.

Why Was It So Popular? This was a line that stuck out to us back in the spring, before we even launched our blog. When Rhee said it at our 2011 National Policy Summit, it hit back directly at critics who try to make our fight a partisan or ideological one. In a world where every public school was great, we wouldn't need vouchers and scholarship tax credits. But until that day, we will fight to give kids hope.


4. BREAKING NEWS: Bipartisan Ohio Voucher Plan Passes Out of House Education Committee (September 21, 2011)
What Was It? After a summer of school choice successes nationwide, the first day of fall continued the trend with the passage of a means-tested voucher bill in the Ohio House's Education Committee.

Why Was It So Popular? We love breaking news, and we think you do, too. This was an especially exciting piece, because the vote was a relative surprise and the measure would have wide-ranging effects for low-income kids across the Buckeye State. There's yet to be a vote on the bill in the House, but we'll keep you updated on the legislation's prospects.

3. Join the Fight Against Special Interests in Wisconsin! (July 15, 2011)
What Was It? Considering the extent to which some of the political battles in Wisconsin have dominated the news this year, people must not have been surprised to see that the outcome of the summer recall elections would have an effect on education reform. We asked readers to join in the fight to make sure the reforms stayed in place.

Why Was It So Popular? We think you reacted to the call to action. Especially after the sweeping expansions that took place in Milwaukee and Racine, you, like us, didn't want to see those educational options rolled back. Thankfully, we were successful in preserving the school choice majority in the Senate - largely thanks to your help!

2. Think Different: A Lesson in Education Reform and Life, from Apple's Steve Jobs (October 6, 2011)
What Was It? Having appeared in just the last month, I'm sure you'll remember this one. The day after Former Apple CEO and technology innovator Steve Jobs died, we discovered that Jobs was in fact a strong supporter of school choice, and he decried the influence of special interests on education.

Why Was It So Popular? Besides the fact that Apple products have become part of the fabric of American culture, Jobs news was everywhere in the early October weeks. His death came the day after the announcement of the new iPhone 4S, meaning that Apple was on the minds of many. And most of all, we'd just lost one of the great technological innovators of our time, and it was interesting to see some insight into his views on things near and dear to our heart.

1. Booker Inspires Thousands at National Charter Schools Conference (June 23, 2011)
What Was It? On the heels of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools' 2011 National Charter Schools Conference, we shared with you some of the most inspiring words from an ardent champion for school choice, Mayor Cory Booker (D-Newark).

Why Was It So Popular? Besides the fact that Booker is one of the most captivating speakers we've seen in our movement, we think people were attracted to the unifying, collaborative message that has become a hallmark of Booker's words. You could also watch the full speech he gave, as well as read some of the most interesting excerpts. We even posted a collection of the best quotes from his speech, things that serve as some of the fundamental tenants of the reasons why we care so much about education reform and school choice. Oh, and did we mention that Booker retweeted the post to his more than one million followers on Twitter? Yeah, that might have had something to do with it, too....

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice, MAG