Why Wisconsin Needs the Special Needs Scholarship Act

The Wisconsin Special Needs Scholarship Act, Assembly Bill 110, was passed out of the Assembly Committee on Education last week on a 7-4 vote.  And the Senate Committee on Education is considering the Specials Needs Scholarship Act as well.

Successful passage and enactment of the Special Needs Scholarship Act would be just the latest in a surge of school choice programs for special needs students around the country. There are currently 10 private school choice programs across the nation for children with special needs. They operate in eight states—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah, with two programs in both Arizona and Ohio.  At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, nearly 30,000 students were enrolled in the programs.

In the Senate hearing on Tuesday, more than 30 parents and children testified in support of this bill.  While the Committee has not yet voted on the measure, Committee members listened to more than five hours of testimony.

Just one of the many parents to testify, Sally Schaeffer, mother of Lydia, spoke at yesterday’s hearing in support of this important legislation.  Read parts of her testimony below for the inspiring story of why the Badger State needs the Special Needs Scholarship Act.

School Choice Mythbusters

Every day, opponents to education reform spend a lot of time, energy, and money perpetuating myths about school choice. But the reality is that not only do private school choice programs empower parents to choose the education they feel is best for their children, but they also work! 

We've compiled some of the most prevalent myths on school choice and what the facts really say about educational options:

10. School choice programs drain money from public schools

School choice programs help public schools and save money for taxpayers.  The cost of a scholarship is often less than the cost to send a student to public school.  For example, in Washington, D.C., the cost to educate a student in the D.C. Public Schools in 2009 was $16,408.  The maximum scholarship amount under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is $12,000.  So not only does it cost less to provide scholarships to students, but these students have higher levels of educational attainment.  And that’s not all, many public school systems receive a portion of the funding for each child participating in a school choice program—even though that child does not attend public school.

As for helping public schools, six studies in Florida, five studies in Milwaukee, and one study in Arizona show positive competitive effects of voucher programs on achievement for students in traditional public schools.

9. School choice looks to privatize education

School choice is about providing educational options to families and ensuring that all children receive an education that will transform their lives regardless of the system that provides that education.  School choice fundamentally is about choice; and that choice can include public schools, private schools, magnet schools, public charter schools, virtual schools, and homeschooling.  Education reformer and school choice supporter Michelle Rhee has said it best:  “My job is to make sure that every single child […] gets a great education.  I am agnostic as to the delivery mechanism.”

8. School choice takes the “best” kids out of public schools

Students who are doing poorly in public schools are most likely to take advantage of school choice programs.  Generally, students who succeed in a public school see no need to switch schools.  School choice programs do not provide academic scholarships, but rather scholarships based on family incomes or special needs—student populations that studies show are often academically behind their peers.

7. School choice programs discriminate against children with special needs and children from low-income families

On the contrary, 10 private school choice programs are specifically designed for children with special needs.  Whether a voucher program, a scholarship tax credit program, or an education savings accounts, these programs are specifically tailored to meet the needs of students’ needs.  Moreover, 24 of the 27 school choice programs serve children with special needs or students from low-income families.  In addition, these programs have to meet nondiscrimination policies.

6. School choice is a republican, right-wing issue

Both Democrats and Republicans support school choice because school choice is about educating children, not political agendas.  In fact, many prominent Democrats support school choice including Senator Joe Lieberman, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Congressman Daniel Lipinski, Pennsylvania State Senator Anthony Williams, Georgia State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan, Wisconsin State Representative Jason Fields, Former Chancellor of D.C. Schools Michelle Rhee, and many many more!

Hundreds of D.C. Parents Come Out to Year's Second Scholarship Sign-Up

Parents get help from volunteers while filling out their applications
for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

More than 150 parents stood in line at the Fort Davis Recreation Center in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the chance to send their children to the private school of their choice in the 2012-13 school year.  The long line was filled with parents applying for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program—a voucher program designed for students from low-income families to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was reauthorized in 2011 thanks to the tireless efforts of House Speaker John Boehner and Senator Joe Lieberman.  The program grew by 60 percent in the 2011-12 school year thanks to reauthorization, which allowed new students to enroll for the first time since the program was limited to participating students only.

Scholarships awards are worth $8,000 for students in grades K-8 and $12,000 for students in grades 9-12, and families can choose from more than 50 private schools across the city.

So who can participate in the scholarship program?

Well, students must come from families that qualify for SNAP benefits and priority is given to students who attend schools in need of improvement, corrective action, or restricting.Children with a sibling participating in the program are also given preference, and students currently attending private school are also eligible to participate.

Ohio Mother Turns Conviction into Into School Choice Advocacy

Last year, citizens all across the country were rightly outraged when an Ohio mother named Kelley Williams-Bolar was jailed and convicted for acting on the most basic of parental desires: wanting to choose a safe school her children.  This year, Williams-Bolar is making her conviction—that is, her conviction that parents have the right to choose the best education for their children—into positive work to ensure that families across the Buckeye State have real educational options.

In January 2011, Williams-Bolar was convicted of a third-degree felony for tampering with records after she enrolled her daughters into a public school outside of her assigned school using her father's address.  In total, she served 10 days in jail for nothing more than wanting a choice when it comes to her daughters’ education.

While Governor Kasich, who last year expanded two of Ohio’s school choice programs and created a voucher program for students with special needs, used his executive powers to grant clemency to Williams-Bolar, a national outcry still spread across the country.

But now, Williams-Bolar is taking her painful story and inspiring change in Ohio.  This weekend, Williams-Bolar, along with long-time school choice activist Michelle Bernard, will rally for educational equality in Cleveland.

School Choice and the Silver Screen

Here at School Choice Now!, we’re not usually in the business of movie reviews, but lately we’ve been seeing a lot of films about education reform.  This education film movement is led by breakout hit Waiting for Superman, but now has many documentaries and a few dramas to bolster this new “education refilm” genre.

So want to grab some popcorn and watch a few films on education reform?  Here’s a roundup of some of our favorites:

The Cartel (2009)—

“How has the richest and most innovative society on earth suddenly low the ability to teach its children at a level that other modern countries consider “basic”?”

Directed by Bob Bowden, a former producer, reporter, and news anchor, this film looks at how education reform, not education spending, can change our education system.  Looking at New Jersey, which in 2005 spent as high as $483,000 per classroom, the film looks at the cause of our underachievement and what can be done to ensure our children achieve, including charter schools and vouchers.

The Lottery (2010) —

“You could win an education”

A documentary that focuses on the lottery system—a system developed by charter schools that have more families that want to attend than spots available.  This film follows four families whose futures depend on this lottery system to escape the public school system.

The Experiment (2011)—

Ben Lemoine’s documentary focuses on New Orleans that was rocked by Hurricane Katrina, but opened a door to create educational opportunity out of a natural disaster.  Looking at the Recovery School District, this film follows five children as they navigate through a city with charter schools and a voucher program for students from low-income families attending failing schools.

What's the Word on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Funding Failure?

After the story broke that thePresident’s budget did not include funding for the highly successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, folks in Washington and all around the country had a lot to say about it.  Here’s what elected officials, talking heads, bloggers, and everyone else is saying about the President going back on his word:

Very disappointed to see Pres. budget zeroes out funding for DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

—Senator Joe Lieberman via Twitter

I am committed to ensuring that this valuable program gets the support it needs and deserves from Congress.

—Senator Joe Lieberman via Twitter

Unacceptable: president’s budget zeroes out funding for successful DC Opportunity Scholarship Program

—Speaker John Boehner via Twitter

The advocate in me is angry, the mother in me is disheartened, and the citizen in me is saddened that one again this Administration has chosen to stand with special interests groups and not with the children who need him to stand for them.

—Advocate Virginia Walden Ford

Data Snapshot: Pennsylvania

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Pennsylvania has one scholarship tax credit program that serves more than 40,000 students.

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 1
• Total Number of Students: 40,879
• Total Number of Participating Schools: Not Available
• Total Expenditures: $48,242,880

Educational Improvement Tax Credit

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 40,879
• Schools Participating: Not Available
• STOs Operating: 234
• 2011 Expenditures: $48,242,880

    Growth in Student Participation

2012 Outlook

Pennsylvania is on the cusp of enacting strong school choice legislation.  Last session, the Senate passed legislation expanding the state’s scholarship tax credit program and enacting opportunity scholarships for students from low-income families that are stuck in failing schools.  Governor Corbett is committed to making school choice a legislative priority and the state’s legislature will continue to debate school choice in 2012.

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

'The Great Equalizer' Doesn't Add Up

"Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education’s leveling effects."

That's lead paragraph in a front-page story that ran in The New York Times last week, on February 9. It tells of an often cast aside, but still terrifying fact: children from low-income families are not simply performing worse in school than their more affluent counterparts, but the achievement gap between students from impoverished families and affluent families is actually growing larger.

And one in five children in the United States—that’s 15.8 million young people in total—is living in poverty, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The reality is that the status quo is not working to shorten this gap.  Low-income families need educational options to choose an education that will best meet their children’s educational needs.

Education cannot be “the great equalizer” if it is not helping the children who need help most.  And when a school is failing them, low-income families often do not have the option to move to a better neighborhood or pay for private school tuition. 

But school choice programs are designed for children from low-income families, providing much needed options for thousands of children across the nation. 

In fact, 14 programs in 10 states plus the District of Columbia are means-tested or means-preferenced, publicly funded private school choice programs. Family income requirements are often a part of the enrollment process in school choice programs, ensuring that students whose families cannot afford choice independently are given this vital option. 

Based on the federal free and reduced-price lunch program or the federal poverty guidelines, these programs collectively serve 147,750 families across the nation.

Sadly, thousands more families don't have a choice in their education. What at all is equal about that?

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

Data Snapshot: Rhode Island and Iowa

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we've spent the past few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains. Our final two entries, examining Rhode Island and Iowa, are below.

Rhode Island

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 1
• Total Number of Students: 341
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 55
• Total Expenditures: $592,015

Rhode Island Corporate Scholarship Tax Credit

A corporate scholarship tax credit program that allows corporations to donate to nonprofit organizations that send students from low-income families to the school of their parents’ choice.  The program gives a 75 percent tax credit or one-year donations and a 90 percent tax credit for two-year donations.

    Growth in Student Participation

Iowa

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 1
• Total Number of Students: 10,820
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 158
• Total Expenditures: $11,538,448

Individual and Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit

This program was expanded in 2011 by increasing the statewide cap on donations from individuals and corporations to $8.75 million in 2012, allowing even more students to receive scholarships.

    Growth in Student Participation

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

Data Snapshot: Washington, D.C.

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Perhaps in the most significant 2011 school choice victory, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was strengthened and restored thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Speaker John Boehner and Senator Joe Lieberman.  In fact, the program grew by more than 60 percent thanks to reauthorization.

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 1
• Total Number of Students: 1,615
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 53
• Total Expenditures: $13,697,550

D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 1,615
• Schools Participating: 53
• 2011 Expenditures: $13,697,550

    Growth in Student Participation

2012 Outlook

While the program has been authorized for $20 million over five years, the program needs to get appropriated for each year.

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

Parent Empowerment at Work in the Grand Canyon State

Here at School Choice Now!, we have a singular goal of kids being in the best school possible—whether that school is a private school, a charter school, or a traditional public school.  Parents, especially those from low-income families, should be empowered to choose what school they think will best prepare their child for a successful life. 

And research shows that parents are very satisfied when they get to choose where their children should go: just look at Louisiana, where four consecutive surveys on the voucher program show parental satisfaction rates of over 90 percent, and at Florida, where 95.4 percent of parents participating in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship rated their schools as “excellent” or “good.”

But it's not just the numbers that speak to the value of school choice. The stories do, too.

One recent story, from a reporter writing for Arizona's East Valley Tribune, tells of how she exercised her educational options not in her role as a reporter, but as a mother:

Earlier this month, I did something I've said I was going to do for a long time: I took a tour of a charter school as a PARENT, not as a reporter.

Why? Let's just say I'm an over thinker. My kids are doing great at their school - our neighborhood district school. But I keep hearing and talking to people about this charter school and I wanted to go in with a different set of eyes.

Michelle Reese, the reporter and mother of three, is happy with her traditional neighborhood school, but wanted to take a look around. And, living in Arizona, Reese has lots of options.

Arizona has public school choice, private school choice (with three scholarship tax credit programs and one education savings account program), charter schools, and homeschooling options.

In Reese’s ZIP code alone, there are 85 different elementary schools: 47 public schools, 24 charter schools, and 10 private schools. 

So what did she end up doing?

I choose to send my kids to my neighborhood school. We've been there for years, though each spring I do debate other options (just ask my husband and friends who hear about it over and over). Why? Because I can. Because I want my kids to be getting the best education possible. Just last year, I really struggled with where to send my middle child, not because I wasn't happy with our school, but because I knew a Spanish dual language program was opening up not far from us and she wants to learn Spanish.

Because when it comes down to it, school choice is about ensuring that all children have access to a great education that works for them—no matter what type of school that is.

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

The Fight for School Choice In New Jersey: Déjà Vu All Over Again

School choice supporters are fighting for passage of the Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA)—a school choice program that has bipartisan support from a bipartisan band of leaders including Senators Raymond Lesniak and Teresa Ruiz, Assemblymen Angel Fuentes and Lou Greenwald, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and Governor Chris Christie. 

The OSA would allow thousands of children from low-income New Jersey families in the state’s most disadvantaged school districts to attend the schools of their parents’ choice.  And it would be the state’s first school choice program. Well, sort of.

According to a column by Bryan LaPlaca, on this day in 1997, New Jersey was on the forefront of the education reform news in a little town called Lincoln Park.

In February 1997, the Board of Education in Lincoln Park created a program that would allow parents to send their children to the high school of their choice—including private schools.  With a vote of 7-2, the Board overwhelmingly created and supported a voucher program in the Garden State.

Lincoln Park Public Schools serve students in grades K-8.  High school students living in Lincoln Park attend Boonton Public Schools as part of a two-district agreement.  The voucher program was seen as an alternative for students to attend the school of their parent’s choice.

"This is a choice," Trustee Bonnie Sudol said at the time. "It is a choice for parents who are not happy with Boonton."

Data Snapshot: Ohio

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

In 2011, Ohio expanded two of its voucher programs and created a new voucher program for students with special needs, bringing the total number of school choice programs to four.  The Ohio budget, signed by Governor John Kasich, quadrupled the number of students that can participate in the EdChoice Program, increased the size of voucher scholarships in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, and created the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship.

2011 Results

•  Number of School Choice Programs: 4
• Total Number of Students: 23,975
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 594
• Total Expenditures: $122,600,000

Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program

A means-preferenced voucher program that serves students living in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.  Expansion in 2011 brought the scholarship amounts up to $4,250 for students in grades K-8 and $5,000 for students in grades 9-12.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 5,603
• Schools Participating: 36
• 2011 Expenditures: $21,000,000

    Growth in Student Participation

Autism Scholarship Program

This voucher program for autistic students is now one of two voucher programs in the state tailored to students with special needs.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 2,236
• Schools Participating: 248
• 2011 Expenditures: $42,600,000

    Growth in Student Participation

Educational Choice Scholarship Program

The 2011 expansion to the EdChoice Program, a failing schools voucher, increases the number of scholarships available to 30,000 in the 2011-12 school year and 60,000 in the 2012-13 school year.  In addition, student eligibility was expanded to include a second definition of low-rated schools.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 16,136
• Schools Participating: 310
• 2011 Expenditures: $59,000,000

    Growth in Student Participation

Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program

Created in 2011 and named after education reform advocate and former Ohio legislator Jon Peterson, this program will allow students with special needs to attend the school of their parents’ choice.  The program is slated to begin in the 2012-12 school year.

2012 Outlook

Ohio will have four active voucher program in 2012 with the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program expected to begin in the fall.

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

Ohio Jumps on State of the State Train

Last month, we told you what governors have been saying in their state of the state addresses. And we’re not done!

This week, Ohio Governor John Kasich delivered his address, and in it, school choice played a major role.  In fact, the Governor chose to deliver his speech not at the State Capitol, but at a high-performing elementary school in Steubenville, Ohio.

Here’s what Governor Kasich had to say about choice in education: 

Education reform. Think about this: No mom and dad should have to have their kids in a school where they're not safe and they're not learning. It's a civil right.

This is not an attack on the public school system or public school teachers. We have to honor the ones that are really out there just like we see here in Wells Academy. But, when the schools aren't working and they're underperforming, let our children go. We went in this state from 13,000 vouchers to 30,000 families who can have more choice and more freedom, to next year 60,000 vouchers. I don't know that that exists anywhere in America. And it's going to give our poor people a chance.

We lifted the cap on the number of charter schools. And let me make it clear: if you're an underperforming charter school, we'll be on you. We have to have excellence in every school, and just because it has a name, if it's not working, we're going to have to deal with it. I'll ask the legislature to exercise proper oversight. And let me also—you can applaud for that. I know a lot of people are concerned about that.

If the school continues to fail, parents and teachers have the power to take the school over themselves. I want to give a big shout out to Stan Heffner. He is a man who has decided that he is committed to the fact that we need to let moms and dads know, across this state, how their kids are doing. He has published a report that ranks the schools, and that's how Wells got to be number one. He is traveling the state. We need moms and dads to know how their schools are doing.

Our schools across the state are, frankly, consistent with the Race to the Top, where I give Arne Duncan and the President great credit for what they've done there. We're moving Ohio forward, but we've got a long way to go.

We’re happy to see that Governor Kasich—a standout leader in 2011 for expanding two school choice program and creating a special needs voucher program—is still committed to education reform.

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

Data Snapshot: Oklahoma

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Oklahoma expanded its special needs voucher program in 2011 and created the state’s first scholarship tax credit program for corporate and individual donors.

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 2
• Total Number of Students: 160*
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 40*

*Data only available for the voucher program, as the scholarship tax credit program has not yet begun.

Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program

This program was expanded in 2011 to require students to have an Individualized Education Plan to be in effect at the time of the scholarship request.  In addition, the program now waives the prior year public school attendance for military families.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 160
• Schools Participating: 40
• 2011 Expenditures: $1,000,000

    Growth in Student Participation

Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships

Created in 2011, this corporate and individual scholarship tax credit program allows students from low-income families or children with special needs to receive a scholarship through an SGO to attend the school of their parents’ choice.  The program is set to begin in the 2012-13 school year

2012 Outlook

Corporations and individuals can begin donating to scholarship granting organizations to begin the Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships.

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

An Old Dominion-Style Rally

We told you yesterday about Democratic Delegate Algie T. Howell, who supports bringing strong school choice programs to Virginia.  And still, the news coming out of the Old Dominion State isn’t done:

More than 400 parents, students, and advocates rallied on Tuesday at the State Capitol in Richmond in support of creating school choice for students in low-income families.  Here are some photos from the event:

Governor Bob McDonnell speaks during Tuesday’s rally
calling 2012 the year that Virginia will create a scholarship tax credit program.
Our own Kevin P. Chavous stands in the background. 

Data Snapshot: Wisconsin

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

The Badger State had two victories in 2011, a major contributor to making “The Year of School Choice” such a success.  Not only did Wisconsin expand the longest running school choice program in the nation, but it created a second voucher program modeled after its Milwaukee Program.

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 2
•  Total Number of Students: 23,426
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 114

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

The nation’s longest running voucher program, this program began in 1990!  It’s been expanded and strengthened over the years—and 2011 was no different.  In the biennial budget, signed by Governor Scott Walker, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program was expanded by

• Removing the cap on the number of student participants
• Permitting schools across the state to accept program participants
• Expanding the program to benefit children from middle-class families
• Ensuring that participating families can remain in the program regardless of future income growth

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 23,198
• Schools Participating: 106
• 2011 Expenditures: $144,300,800

    Growth in Student Participation

Racine Parental Choice Program

Wisconsin’s newly created voucher program, the Racine Parental Choice Program is modeled off the highly successful Milwaukee Program.  This program allows students living in the Racine Unified School District to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 228
• Schools Participating: 8
• 2011 Expenditures: $1,546,100

    Growth in Student Participation

2012 Outlook

Wisconsin is still fighting to create even more options for students.  In 2012, we can expect to see movement on a special needs voucher program and voucher expansion to Green Bay.

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

Howell Heads Up Strong Support for School Choice in Virginia

Virginia Delegate Algie Howell has been serving in the House of Delegates since 2004, but he’s been a supporter of educational options for Virginia’s families for much, much longer. And it's because Howell has been able to overcome educational inequalities in his own life that he wants to make sure that students from low-income families get a choice in their own educational environment. Says the Democratic member:

It's about "parental choice," empowering parents to make the best decisions for their children. Every parent wants the best for their child, especially when it comes to education. [School choice] helps parents do exactly that.

Representing parts of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, Howell is a former public school teacher and school board member, and a cosponsor of House Bill 321, which would create a corporate scholarship tax credit for students from low-income families to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

Why does Howell support the idea of being able to choose your own school?  Because when he was in high school, he couldn’t:

I wanted desperately to go to Holland High School. I was smart enough, I was ready and I knew it would provide the best opportunity for the kind of life I dreamed about.

But back then, like every other black child I knew, I was assigned by the school system to local "colored" schools, and high school was no different. I am a proud graduate of Nansemond County Training School, but sometimes I wonder what might have been had I been allowed to attend the better-equipped "white school."

Now, in his work as an elected official, Howell is committed to making sure that all children have access to a great education. 

Data Snapshot: Florida

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Florida expanded both its private school choice programs in 2011, continuing its trend of being the leader on education reform.  The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship to allow companies to redirect 100 percent of their tax liabilities to Student Funding Organizations.  In addition, insurance companies can contribute up to 100 percent of their insurance premium liability.  Student eligibility was expanded under the John M. McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program to include students who have an accommodation plan under the federal Rehabilitation Act.

And with these changes come the results:

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 2
• Total Number of Students: 60,859
•  Total Number of Participating Schools: 2230
• Total Expenditures: $323,849,829

John M. McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program

The nation’s longest running special needs voucher program that began with two students in 1999 and has grown to more than 22,000 participating students this year.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 22,861
• Schools Participating: 1,050
• 2011 Expenditures: $148,849,829

    Growth in Student Participation

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship

This tax credit scholarship program is the most accountable scholarship tax credit program in the nation, meeting 10 of 10 accountability standards! And this program is growing each year, both in terms of student enrollment and the statewide cap on how much corporations can donate.  Now that’s getting in the business of education reform!

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 37,998
• Schools Participating: 1,180
• SFOs Operating: 1
• 2011 Expenditures: $175,000,000

    Growth in Student Participation

2012 Outlook

The Sunshine State’s scholarship tax credit statewide cap on donations will increase to $218,700,000—a good thing since donors reached the cap of $175,000,000 this year.  In addition, the legislature is considering some adjustments to the program that will allow more businesses to donate more of their tax liability.

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

Data Snapshot: North Carolina

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

In 2011, North Carolina created its first private school choice option for families living in the Tar Heel State with the creation of the Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities.  An Individual Tuition Tax Credit of significant size, this option will allow parents of special needs students to receive a state income tax credit of up to $6,000 for educational expenses, including private school tuition. 

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 1

Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities

An individual tuition tax credit for children with disabilities created in 2011.

2012 Outlook

North Carolina is looking to create even more school choice options in 2012 for students with special needs and children from low-income families.  With bipartisan support, we should expect to see some real educational options in the Tar Heel State.

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

Juan Williams on Parental Choice in the Windy City

We told you before that Juan Williams—one of the nation’s leading journalists, commentators, and political analysts—will deliver an address on school choice at the American Federation for Children’s third annual National Policy Summit (Register at www.afcpolicysummit.com) in May, but Williams is already touting the importance of parental options three months (to the day!) before the Summit begins.

In conjunction with the Education Action Group Foundation, Williams created a short movie, entitled "A Tale of Two Missions," on parental choice in Chicago. It focused on two important topics: what elected officials are doing to improve Chicago’s schools and what others are doing to prevent meaningful reform.

In what is something of a preview for what you'll hear at our Summit, Williams stresses the importance of school vouchers, charter schools, and empowering parents. Though it's not home to a private school choice program, the Land of Lincoln has strong charter schools in the Windy City, a fact that Williams found out firsthand when he visited Noble Charter Network—a place home to a 99 percent graduation rate.

The school is so focused on the success of its students that it has what's called "Alumni Hall." Principal Bill Olsen takes Williams down the hallway, which is dedicated to graduates by displaying the school banners where they've gone to further their education.

Data Snapshot: Arizona

With the release of the Alliance for School Choice's School Choice Yearbook 2011-12 (available for download here), we'll spend the next few days on School Choice Now! highlighting some of the new data and research it contains.

Thanks to the hard work of Arizona’s elected officials and tireless advocates, Arizona is now one to two states that can boast FOUR school choice programs.  And it’s home to the nation’s first and only Education Savings Account Program!

2011 Results

• Number of School Choice Programs: 4
• Total Number of Students: 30,178
• Total Number of Participating Schools: 2,600
• Total Expenditures: $58,362,748

Individual School Tuition Organization Tax Credit

An individual scholarship tax credit created in 1997.

    2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 25,343
• Schools Participating: 911
• STOs Operating: 49
• 2011 Expenditures: $47,105,564

    Growth in Student Participation

    

Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit

Enacted in 2006, this scholarship tax credit program provides tax credits to businesses that donate money for scholarships.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 4,578
• Schools Participating: 342
• STOs Operating: 17
• 2011 Expenditures: $9,189,905

    Growth in Student Participation

Lexie’s Law

A corporate scholarship tax credit program for students with disabilities and foster care children.  This program was originally a voucher program and transitioned into a scholarship tax credit program in 2009.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 115
• Schools Participating: 47
• STOs Operating: 5
• 2011 Expenditures: $561,029

    Growth in Student Participation

    

Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program

A NEW type of school choice program created in 2011, this program allows parents of children with special needs to receive an account where parents can spend their child’s education dollars on a variety of options including tuition, books, tutoring, and educational therapies.  In January, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge upheld the program, letting hundreds of families remain in the program.

2011-12 School Year Data Update

• Scholarships Awarded: 142
• 2011 Expenditures: $1,506,250

    Growth in Student Participation

    

2012 Outlook

Arizona is looking to strengthen and expand its existing scholarship tax credit programs and to continue to protect the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program as special interests continue to attempt to disband the program.

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