Opening Tomorrow: Won’t Back Down

Hollywood is taking education reform to the big screen with the release of Won’t Back Down—a movie about parents taking charge and demanding educational options.  Inspired by actual events, the film tells the story of a mother and teacher fighting to take over a failing public school under the parent trigger law. 

The film is moving and the message behind it is clear: parents know best.

Viola Davis, one of the stars of film, says it best during her appearance on Jay Leno:

I am a parent. And as a parent, I have a child and I know that the only way she’s going to get a part of the American Dream is through education. And so if that great education is a public school, I’m going to send my kid to the public school. If that great education is a charter school, I’m going to send my kid to a charter school. If it’s a private school, I’ll send her to a private school.

I think that it’s about wanting do what’s best for your kid.

Make sure you check out the movie for a truly moving story on why educational options are so important:

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

What’s the Buzz in Education?

With the 2012-13 school year well under way across the country, it seems that everyone—from Hollywood with the new hit movie Won’t Back Down to President Obama and Governor Romney in the race for the White House—is talking education reform.

So the Schools of Thought blog over at CNN summed up what people are saying about education reform.  So what are the top buzzwords in education reform?  Well the list would not be complete without educational options:

School choice – The different educational options available to parents and students and the extent to which they can take advantage of these options.  School choice is not a new term, but one that will continue to drive the education conversation this school year, especially around election time. It’s a concept that is politically popular, though some opponents question the fairness of vouchers and some point out mixed reviews on charter schools and student achievement.  For most students, their school is determined by their address.  School choice advocates prefer that parents, not ZIP codes, determine what school their children will attend. Among the current educational options available in different districts are magnet schools, charter schools, private schools (with vouchers in some places), open enrollment (where students can attend any school within a district) and homeschooling.  As a result of school choice legislation in some states, some parents are enrolling their children in online classes, while others are opting for “blended learning” – a combination of online and classroom instruction.

We’re glad to see school choice make the five buzzwords along with common core standards, flipped classes, gamification, and massive open online course.  But we’d like to point out the research that shows that vouchers not only help disadvantaged children, but have strong educational attainment rates.

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

Education Talk at the Democratic National Convention

Education reform—with a strong focus on school choice—took up a large portion of the Republican National Convention last week.  And as the Democratic National Convention rolls on this week, it looks like education reform will also play a significant role.

Among the highlights is the new Hollywood film “Won’t Back Down,” which is being played at the Convention to the support of many.  The film, which tells a fictional story of a low-income mother and teacher working to take over a failing public school—called parent trigger laws—was also shown at the GOP Convention to much praise.

But that won’t be the only similarity when it comes to education reform between the two party’s conventions.  For one, school choice supporters will appear at both conventions.

We already told you about Condoleezza Rice’s inspiring speech and Jeb Bush’s education-focused address.  For the Democrats, we already heard from Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a strong supporter of educational options and the New Jersey Opportunity Scholarship Act. Said Booker last night:

And you should be able to give your children the kind of education that allows them to dream even bigger, go even farther and accomplish even more than you could ever imagine.

Other supporters of educational options slated to speak: Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and Senate candidate from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, who reportedly called for school vouchers.

Here's a video from a town hall hosted this week by our friends at Democrats for Education Reform:

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