School Choice Now! is the official blog of the American Federation for Children, the nation's voice for educational choice. We seek to improve our nation’s K-12 education by advancing systemic and sustainable public policy that empowers parents, particularly those in low income families, to choose the education they determine is best for their children.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014
06.04.14 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition
June 4, 2014: AFC
Daily News Clips – afternoon edition
Good afternoon:
Thanks for the feedback on the “$4.5 million question.” The winning
Tweet is below!
Thanks,
Matt
Tweet of the afternoon:
06.04.14 Daily News Clips - morning edition
June 4, 2014: AFC Daily News Clips – morning
edition
Good morning:
Fun fact, $4.5 million will
buy a :30 TV ad during the 2015 Super Bowl, but $4.5 million couldn’t buy a single state senator
for the Alabama Education Association. That’s right, last night AEA managed
one Senate runoff, but otherwise went home pretty much empty handed after
spending $4.5 million. More details can be found in this memo.
What else can $4.5 million buy? Tweet me your ideas and we’ll feature the best idea later this afternoon.
Matt
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
06.03.14 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition
June 3, 2014: AFC Daily News Clips – afternoon edition
Good afternoon:
All eyes are on the Yellowhammer State. No, not on the $6.8 million Nick Saban will make next
season but on the $1 million+ the Alabama
Education Association is spending to elect anti-education reform candidates.
Tips/stories we’ve missed or should highlight – don’t hesitate to send me an email
or tweet. And, if you have ever
trouble viewing this on your phone, you can always view or clips online.
Stay tuned for tonight’s results!
Matt
Tweet of the
afternoon:
Louisiana Federation
for Children
Educating Louisiana featuring LFC’s Ann Duplessis http://vimeo.com/95571451
School Choice News
Redefined: PolitiFact Misreads WI Voucher Research http://bit.ly/1l3H26M
Heartland: Wisconsin Imposes New Regulations on
Voucher Schools http://bit.ly/1m8AkZW
Alton Telegraph: School Choice for Parents Offers
Alternative to Adult Focused System http://bit.ly/1jPihGQ
The Daily Signal: Universal School Choice: A Reform
for the 21st Century http://dailysign.al/1oTtrSI
Cincinnati Enquirer:
School choice group sues CPS, Springfield http://cin.ci/1knA7qe
Charter Schools News
EdWeek: Rural Charter Schools Face Special Challenges
http://bit.ly/1nM70PF
Is this Satire?
Huffington Post: School
Choice is UnAmerican http://huff.to/1kAYxLW
Matt
Frendewey
National
Communications Director
American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice
@mattfrendewey @SchoolChoiceNow | 202-280-1978
(O) |
Monday, June 2, 2014
06.02.14 Daily News Clips - morning edition
Tweet of the morning
@InvestInEdNYS: @CardinalDolan airs tv ad telling @NYGovCuomo "don't let us down" on #InvestInEd Tax credit bit.ly/EITCCuomo @TeamCuomo
American Federation for Children
Bipartisan Group of Legislators Vote to Fully Fund the Louisiana Scholarship Program
Thursday, May 29, 2014
05.29.14 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition
Tweet of the afternoon
@ADMotzen: Great news!"@SchoolChoiceNow: Record number of applications submitted for #EdChoice program in Ohio! @SchoolChoiceOH pic.twitter.com/wisyQawzAV"
Florida School Choice
Tallahassee Democrat: Michael McShane: Don't blame vouchers for poor science instruction
05.29.14 Daily News Clips - morning edition
Tweet of the morning
@PEFNC: Parents want a hand UP RT @CSFNational CSF Mom: "As a single parent, I cannot express how grateful I am for this generous help." #edchoice
Alabama School Choice
AL.com: Montgomery County judge rules Alabama Accountability Act unconstitutional
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
05.28.14 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition
Tweet of the afternoon
@SchoolChoiceLA: Louisiana's Public #EdChoice Bill, SB61, passed through the House today with strong bipartisan support, strengthening options for kids!
American Federation for Children
Louisiana Public School Choice Bill Passes House of Representatives
05.28.14 Daily News Clips - morning edition
Tweet of the morning
@kevinpchavous: I am so proud of my young friend, Denisha Merriweather! http://fb.me/2m03HC2PS
Louisiana School Choice
Watchdog: Louisiana considers public school choice
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
05.27.14 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition
Tweet of the afternoon
@BobbyJindal: Proud to see students in our school choice scholarship program showing great improvement. School choice works.
School Choice News
Island Packet: Childs launches first TV ad supporting individualized education, school choice
05.27.14 Daily News Clips - morning edition
Tweet of the morning
Wisconsin School Choice
Post Crescent: Letters: Expanding vouchers levels education playing field
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
The Hope Agenda
Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C., sat down on a plane several years ago next to the CFO of a company that owns more than 700 Burger King restaurants. After they began talking about their respective jobs, Brooks asked the man, "Do you ever feel bad for creating dead-end jobs?"
Brooks immediately felt guilty for asking the question and as he tried to take back his words, the CFO replied thoughtfully: There are no dead end jobs. There is a dead end culture, there’s a dead end government and there are dead end people, but there are no dead-end jobs, he said.
That struck a chord with Brooks, who shared with AFC Policy Summit attendees how our country is leaving the poor behind. For people in the top half of the U.S. economy, there is an expected five percent growth this year. That number is in stark contrast to the zero percent expected growth in the bottom half of the economy, and what makes that number sting even more is that this is the seventh straight year low-income individuals and families will see declining economic growth, Brooks said.
"It's two Americas," Brooks exclaimed, sharing that the number of Americans who require government assistance through food stamps to feed themselves and their families has doubled since 2009.
Brooks immediately felt guilty for asking the question and as he tried to take back his words, the CFO replied thoughtfully: There are no dead end jobs. There is a dead end culture, there’s a dead end government and there are dead end people, but there are no dead-end jobs, he said.
That struck a chord with Brooks, who shared with AFC Policy Summit attendees how our country is leaving the poor behind. For people in the top half of the U.S. economy, there is an expected five percent growth this year. That number is in stark contrast to the zero percent expected growth in the bottom half of the economy, and what makes that number sting even more is that this is the seventh straight year low-income individuals and families will see declining economic growth, Brooks said.
"It's two Americas," Brooks exclaimed, sharing that the number of Americans who require government assistance through food stamps to feed themselves and their families has doubled since 2009.
"What do you need?," Brooks asked. "Hope-- the idea that there’s a promise for
a better future, but the problem is for a society that’s leaving the bottom
half behind, it feels like it’s rigged. In the bottom half, it doesn’t matter
how virtuous you are, your school is going to be lousy and even if you do get
into college, there probably won’t be a job for you."
The first step to providing hope to Americans is by providing a quality education to every child, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Every child deserves equal access to the kind of education that helps them learn best. Said Brooks:
"Real social justice means fighting for people who have less
power than you do."
Destined for greatness
Tears were flowing with abundance from the eyes of Valencia Lynch, remembering the opportunity she had more than a decade ago that changed the trajectory of her life forever.
"I have always felt that I was destined for greatness," Lynch said. "I just didn't know how I would get there."
You see, she came from a poor family, the child of a Mexican mother who sought a better life for her daughter, but money was tight. They could not afford a private school on their own. The moment which changed Valencia's life forever was the moment she enrolled in the school of her parents' choice through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
The school was a place where Valencia's mother felt confident her daughter could enrich her Catholic faith, find fellowship with other girls, and most importantly, a place where she would be academically challenged.
Because she had access to a high-quality educational opportunity which surrounded her with mentors and where she was encouraged to grow academically, spiritually and socially, Valencia was able to lay a strong educational foundation that propelled her through college with great success.
She is now proud to say she earned a dual bachelor's degree in both anthropology and in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These days, Valencia is creating a film about Afrolatinas at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, works as a therapist for children with autism, and volunteers extensively in her community.
She attributes her success to the opportunity to choose the school that worked for her individual needs as a student years ago:
"I have always felt that I was destined for greatness," Lynch said. "I just didn't know how I would get there."
You see, she came from a poor family, the child of a Mexican mother who sought a better life for her daughter, but money was tight. They could not afford a private school on their own. The moment which changed Valencia's life forever was the moment she enrolled in the school of her parents' choice through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
The school was a place where Valencia's mother felt confident her daughter could enrich her Catholic faith, find fellowship with other girls, and most importantly, a place where she would be academically challenged.
Because she had access to a high-quality educational opportunity which surrounded her with mentors and where she was encouraged to grow academically, spiritually and socially, Valencia was able to lay a strong educational foundation that propelled her through college with great success.
She is now proud to say she earned a dual bachelor's degree in both anthropology and in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These days, Valencia is creating a film about Afrolatinas at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, works as a therapist for children with autism, and volunteers extensively in her community.
She attributes her success to the opportunity to choose the school that worked for her individual needs as a student years ago:
"These values [I learned there] have in many ways have framed my life choices
to be a socially responsible member of Milwaukee."
Although Valencia is already giving back to her community, she hopes to increase her role in helping children with backgrounds like hers by one day opening a community center in Milwaukee. Said Valencia:
"It is a beautiful thing to go into my alma mater and see
girls running up and yelling 'Valencia' and hugging me even a decade after my
graduation."
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
"I am proof school choice works."
Faith Manuel-McKenney’s story started with a boy and a girl
who fell in love, but it ended so differently than she ever expected it would.
“I was pregnant with a baby boy at 15. I remember when I
first laid eyes on my baby boy, I wanted to give him the world, and I still do.”
She knew the road ahead was not easy, but her heart was set
on providing a better life for him.
“I knew that his future was based on my past, so I graduated
from high school,” Manuel-McKenney said.
Manuel-McKenney married and had two more children, but when things
didn’t work out with her husband, she had to deal with the difficult daily
challenges and struggles that came with being a single mother. She desperately
wanted a private school education for her son, but despite the fact that she
was a hard-working woman, she could not afford it. She applied for the Florida
Tax Credit Scholarship in hopes that her son would be able to focus on learning
instead of distractions that get in the way of a quality education.
“When I got the scholarship award letter, I was jumping for
joy!” said Manuel-McKenney.
While his first school was not a perfect fit, Davion’s
second school was exactly what he needed. His mother describes how he was
immediately embraced by the students and teachers there. He took on the role of
student chaplain, he was on the basketball team, he excelled academically and
in 2012, Davion graduated high school and went to college at Florida State
College at Jacksonville.
Davion graduated college on the dean’s list, the president’s
list and was just named tutor of the year.
“To say I’m proud is an understatement,” Manuel-McKenney said.
“For us, this is about having educational options and finding the school
environment that works for each child.”
Davion plans to go back to school to get his master’s degree
and after that he will work as a math teacher, mentoring students, giving back
and helping the way his teachers helped him.
Said Davion: “I stand here proud because most people wouldn’t
have expected me to go this far. I am proof that the system of school choice
works.”
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