Meet A’bria

A’bria is excited for her future ahead of her.  Why? Because A’bria has big plans: she wants to become a lawyer or a pediatrician.  As for college, A’bria wants to attend Miami (in Ohio, not Florida) or Harvard.  She loves learning history and algebra, and she is grateful to attend a school with such supportive teachers. A’bria’s mom Sheryl applied for the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program for A’bria when she was entering kindergarten, and she continues to receive the scholarship today.

Check out A’bria speaking at the 10th Anniversary celebration of the landmark Supreme Court decision that upheld the Cleveland voucher program.

Meet Aaron

Aaron, 16, has received a scholarship through the Milwaukee Parental Choice program since he was in Kindergarten.  He considers himself very fortunate because he attends a school where he gets pushed to do better and is constantly motivated.  His Chemistry teacher in particular constantly gives Aaron a heavier load work “because he knew I could do it."  Aaron’s parents applied for Aaron and his sisters to participate in the scholarship program because it gives Aaron and his siblings the opportunity to attend a private school they could otherwise not afford.  Aaron says attending private school keeps him out of trouble and provides more than academic knowledge: it teaches him how to be a better man, something Aaron talks about at home every day.

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program was enacted in 1995 and serves more than 23,000 students.  Independent research has demonstrated a higher graduation rate for participating students.  Parental satisfaction surveys also demonstrate high support among parents. 

Meet Raunel

Raunel, 15, is starting his sophomore year at Shoreland Lutheran High School thanks to the Racine Parental Choice Program.  Since started receiving his scholarship last school year, Raunel has improved in English, earned his way into the Honors Study Hall, and joined the AV club. 

“Last year, I learned right away that the teachers were willing to help me if I had any questions. So I asked questions,” Raunel said.

The Racine Parental Choice Program was created in 2011 and modeled after the highly-effective Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.  Raunel is one of 500 students participating in the program—the cap on the number of students allowed to participate.  Beginning next school year, the enrollment cap will be removed, allowing more children in Racine to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

Meet Jaevion

In its second year, the Choice Scholarship Program in Indiana enrolled more than 8,000 students in the program—more than doubled the enrollment of the program’s first year.  One of the students participating in the program is Jaevion.

“As a single mother, I had lost the ability to, not just give my son the great education he deserved, but to finance an appropriate and fitting education for Jaevion,” said Jeronna, Jaevion’s mother.  “Up until recently, Jaevion and I were homeless.  During that time, I didn’t think sending my son to a school where he would thrive would even be possible, but then, the voucher program came along and there was renewed hope that Jaevion could receive the quality education I have always wanted for him. So, we applied and were accepted into the voucher program.”

The teaching strategy that Jaevion’s school uses has encouraged his desire to learn more and to earn good grades.  In fact, Jaevion enjoys attending school every day and is more committed than ever before to reading.

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Jaevion is exactly where he needs to be in order to thrive academically,” says Jaevion’s mother.

The Choice Scholarship Program was created in 2011 and had the highest first year enrollment of any voucher program at nearly 4,000 students.  This year, more than 8,000 students are participating in the program.  

Watch a video below about Jaevion and his mother:

   

Meet Anthony

Anthony’s family moved to Florida just to participate in the Florida Scholarship Tax Credit program because his family wanted to find the school that could best serve Anthony, who has Asperger’s syndrome.  Here’s Anthony, in his own words, on his experience of attending the school of his parent’s choice thanks to Florida’s private school choice program:

Before I started going to Liberty Christian Academy, I thought it was normal that kids didn’t accept kids like me, or that all teachers didn’t know just how to deal with someone who was different. I have Asperger’s  syndrome, but I do well in school. Still, I didn’t seem to fit in. I thought, well, that’s as good as it gets. I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like school. I ate alone. My mom didn’t know what to do until she heard about Step Up For Students in Florida. We moved from Ohio to Florida and once I qualified, she applied for the scholarship and I started at Liberty Christian part way into my sophomore year. The kids there are accepting of different people. They even chose me as the vice president of our National Honor Society chapter. It’s a challenge, but I think I’m ready to step up and rise to the occasion. I think I can really be a standout.

—Anthony Hamilton, a Florida Tax Credit Scholarshi recipient and junior at Liberty Christian Academy, Tavares, Fla.

The Florida Scholarship Tax Credit is serving more than 45,000 students this school year.  And earlier, the program was expanded by increasing the cap on donations by $10.25 million, bringing the statewide donation cap to $229 million and expanding eligibility to include students in grades 2-5 without the prior public school attendance requirement.

Meet Lamar

 Lamar, who loves nature, science, and especially plants, now attends the Preparatory School of D.C. thanks to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.  Lamar’s mom, Tiarra, applied for Lamar to participate in the program in the 2011-12 school year, but Lamar was not yet five years old.  She applied again this year and was excited to learn that Lamar had received a scholarship.  In fact, she was so excited that not only did she attend the School Welcome and Placement Fair to visit some of the private schools participating in the program she volunteered to help set up the fair.  Lamar received his school supplies donated by the Alliance for School Choice and is all ready for his first day of kindergarten thanks to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created in 2004 for children from low-income families living in Washington, D.C. to attend the private school of their parents’ choice.  The program, which was reauthorized in 2011, has a graduate rate of 92 percent—more than 21 percentage points higher than those who were interested in the program, but did not participate.  This year, 229 new students are participating in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.