Reign of Error: One book’s defense of the status-quo

By Kevin P. Chavous

In the several reviews of Diane Ravitch's new book, "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools,” many have focused on her obvious obsession with corporate America and it's 'evil' involvement in education reform.  In writing this book, she clearly wants to warn us all "that reformers want to privatize their public schools and divert their taxes to pay profits to investors." And while Ravitch's rabid attacks throughout the book on education reformers is at times irrational and not based on facts, my problem with her approach and her rhetoric is more basic.

Are Politics to Blame in the Attack on Ed Choice in Louisiana?

By Kevin P. Chavous

I have supported President Obama and known U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for many years and have trusted that their motives are genuine.

But I am now extremely troubled by the motives behind the Dept. of Justice's desegregation lawsuit against the Louisiana scholarship program. In effect, the suit claims that allowing low income Louisiana kids to leave failing public schools in favor of better private schools somehow violates federal desegregation orders issued decades ago.

Since the lawsuit was filed last week, many have speculated as to the motives behind it; why was it filed?

50 Years After King's Dream -- Time to Wake Up

By Kevin P. Chavous
As appeared on Huffington Post "Black Voices" (August 28, 2013)

As our nation steps back to reflect upon the March on Washington and famous speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we all must challenges ourselves to question our nation's progress.

Fifty years later, how has our nation progressed? How have we evolved? How have we improved?

Dr. King's speech helped create momentum for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which legally solidified the equality of African Americans in this country. All week, various events and activities are planned, including an anniversary march on August 28.

Like the 1963 march, the focus of the planned commemorative activities are jobs and justice. But what about education?

Obama to Louisiana Children: ‘You must remain separate and not equal’

By. Kevin P. Chavous

On Saturday, the Obama Administration sued to block Louisiana’s Scholarship Program. This unprecedented and uncalled for action is a direct attack on thousands of low-income children. AFC Press release (http://bit.ly/15bWLvi).

As Adam Emerson, from Fordham summarizes it:

Late last week, lawyers with the department’s Civil Rights Division petitioned a federal judge in Louisiana to stop the Bayou State’s new voucher program from spreading throughout the thirty-plus districts operating under federal desegregation orders.

Why?

Because, according to the DOJ lawsuit, only a federal judge should be able to allow a poor black child to leave the failing school district. That’s right, it’s not up to the parent, but a federal judge.

Why school choice is succeeding

By Kevin P. Chavous

Michael Q. McShane wrote yesterday, “Why School Choice is Failing.” His thought provoking piece raised some very important points, but fails to illustrate how school choice is succeeding, the several solutions already in place to address his concerns, and how school choice advocates are laying the groundwork for even greater impact.

McShane’s issues boil down to three points: Filling excess capacity, encouraging high-quality schools to scale-up and creating new high-quality schools, the latter two McShane argues that school choice programs are “lousy at.”

The majority of us who are involved in the education reform movement are focused on advancing parental choice as central component of fundamental, meaningful, and impactful reform to provide children with better options that generate better educational outcomes. It’s both smart policy and a matter of social justice. However, when a child moves from a public school to a private school through an educational choice program, and receives the same failed outcome, that is not a success. And, this is where McShane has it right.

How do you like them apples? Matt Damon supports private education

Nearly two years ago to the date, Matt Damon flew into Washington, D.C. to speak at a “Save our Schools” rally. The groups who comprise “Save our Schools” are a who’s who of education organizations who have opposed every single reform over the past 30 years. The rally was against the education reforms underway in Washington, D.C. to help fix one of the nation’s most broken school districts. At the rally, Damon was the champion of public schools and skewered the “corporate reformer[s] who literally never taught anyone anything…” 

Education Choice Topic of Conversation on Capitol Hill

This week education advocates, students, parents and lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill to discuss the need for parents to have a say in their child’s education. The Alliance for School Choice had a front row seat at the table, as executive counsel Kevin P. Chavous was one of the panelists.

Celebrating Education Reform at the ESPYS

Champions for Choice Event a Success

By Lisa Leslie
Four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former WNBA star



With my fabulous co-hosts
Kevin P. Chavous and Jalen Rose

One of my favorite events of the year is the ESPY Awards. It is a fantastic opportunity for sports stars, celebrities and fans to join forces and celebrate the athletic achievements of the past year – And this year was no exception!

I was especially excited for this year’s event as I had the opportunity to co-host “Champions for Choice in Education” with Jalen Rose  and Kevin P. Chavous. The event allowed us to educate fellow celebrities and athletes about the importance of educational choice.

Parents, Students and Education Reform Advocates "Go Big" and "Go Bold" at National Policy Summit

The 4^th annual National Policy Summit officially concluded this afternoon after two days of impassioned speeches, closing with the marching orders for attendees to go home and work to implement big and bold ideas, policies and strategies to further expand educational choice.

Bringing together hundreds of parents, students and education reform advocates, we spent two days sharing success stories and discussing strategies for making school choice a reality for thousands of students stuck with limited access to quality education options.

Day one kicked off with a breakfast session featuring Washington Archbishop His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl and D.C. Opportunity Scholarship parent advocate Sheila Jackson on the benefits of the scholarship program in our nation’s capitol.  During her speech, Sheila revealed some amazing news to the group: her daughter Shawnee, a D.C. OSP recipient, graduated as her school’s valedictorian and will be attending St. Augustine University in the fall!

At dinner, attendees heard from former Florida Tax Credit Scholarship recipient Denisha Merriweather on how her choice education opened the doors to greater educational opportunities, including college. Also at dinner, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spoke passionately about the importance of school choice in the Hoosier State. (See Gov. Pence’s full speech here.)

Day two kicked off with Ohio mother Tera Myers’ heart wrenching story of her fight to ensure her special needs son was given the same educational opportunities as other children. Also at breakfast, former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry discussed the role bipartisanship plays in furthering the goals of the school choice movement. (Watch Mike McCurry’s full speech here and our exclusive interview with the Governor here.)

Student advocate Sandeep Thomas kicked off the closing luncheon with an inspiring story about how school choice played a role in helping him overcome the scars of his traumatic childhood and help him grow into the student he is today. Former WNBA star and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lisa Leslie joined AFC’s executive counsel Kevin P. Chavous on stage to close out the conference with a conversation on why she got involved in promoting educational choice. Delivering what could be the quote of the conference, Leslie said, “It's about the opportunity to choose your education. What are we fussing about? This is the right thing to do" (Check out Leslie’s full interview here.)

From the entire AFC team, we hope everyone found this year’s Summit to be as informative – and enjoyable – as we did! Feeling completely inspired by all of our great speakers and fellow attendees, we cannot wait to hit the ground running to promote BIG and BOLD education reforms, giving thousands more students across the country a chance to be another school choice success story. To give you even further inspiration, check out AFC’s Kim Martinez’s interviews with attendees and speakers (update 1, update 2 and update 3).

Local Leaders Standing Up for Educational Choice

Former Louisiana Senator Ann Duplessis wonders how educational choice may have affected her life, had it been available earlier in Louisiana.  Years ago, her father was killed.

“He was shot five times for seven dollars.  The two men who killed him were dropouts.  They had no opportunities in life, so they were surviving,” Duplessis said, “If they had choice, perhaps my father and others would still be alive.”

Duplessis’ heart-wrenching story is why she went from fighting against the scholarship program to fighting for it throughout her community.  But the battle was, and still is, very difficult, since she says providing educational choice often boils down to money.

Kevin Chavous, executive counsel for the American Federation for Children, joined Duplessis to take on that question during the 2013 AFC National Policy Summit’s breakout session on how local leaders stand up for educational choice.

“What’s the goal—to prop up a system or to educate children?  Instead of trying to prop up a system that may or may not be working, we should be supporting the system that works for the children,” Chavous said.

The system that works best for children—and one that is worth paying for—is one with competition, according to educational choice champion former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot.

“As a lawyer, what if I came to work between 11 and 1, charged a rate you couldn’t afford, all because I was the only game in town?” Vinroot said.  “Competition is what makes me a better lawyer, and competition is what makes the system better.  That’s what made America great, is competition.”

All the panelists agreed: competition is what will force improvement in schools across the nation; it’s also what will make the schools themselves worth taxpayer money, and it is what will create the quality education all children deserve.

Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.

The Power of Choice

Right now, today.  Go big, and go bold.  That was the appeal from the AFC’s executive counsel, Kevin P. Chavous, during lunch at the 2013 AFC National Policy Summit.  Chavous praised victories across the country, where five educational choice programs have been created since last year, and five have been expanded during the same time period.

“People know by now we know how to fight, and fight we will,” Chavous said.One D.C. mother who knows better than anyone about fighting for a quality education is Sheila Jackson, who also addressed the crowd at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in Maryland.  Her daughter, Shawnee, struggled in her old school until fourth grade.

“She was intimidated by math.  [The school] didn’t want to do anything with me to help my daughter.  One of her former teachers informed me of the Opportunity Scholarship Program.  She was given a tutor to bring her up in math, and now math is her strong subject,” Jackson said.  “I will continue to advocate for this program even after Shawnee graduates out, because I believe every child deserves to be in an environment that works for them.”

As a testament to the power of Jackson’s ability to choose the education that best fit her daughter, Shawnee just graduated as valedictorian from her high school!  She is now headed to college at St. Augustine University, and Chavous calls her story a testament to the power of overcoming the status quo.

Learn more about the power of educational choice by watching our breakout sessions live online, or find updates throughout the day on our blog, YouTube, and Twitter.

This is the time

We previously reported on April 10th School Choice Ohio rally that brought THOUSANDS of engaged Ohio parents, students and education reform activists to the steps of the Ohio Statehouse to show their support for school choice.

We wanted to share with you some fantastic video footage of AFC's Kevin P. Chavous addressing attendees at the rally on the need to stand up for education choice.  "This is the time for parents, students and families to stand up for children," said Chavous to the crowd. "Right now through educational choice, the only way you see change is when you put power in the hands of parents!"

Chavous showed his support for efforts made by Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio legislature to expand educational options.  Chavous said it is important that families have as many quality options as possible today, to adequately educate as many children as possible.

Check out Kevin's speech in its entirety below:

Rice: "The key to not being trapped in the circumstances of your birth is a quality education"

Dr. Condoleezza Rice called educational choice the most important education reform she sees today, as more than 800 reformers, community business members, legislators and educators listened intently to the panel discussion at the 2013 Leadership for Change! Louisiana Education Excellence Summit.

“They key to not being trapped in the circumstances of your birth is a quality education,” Rice said.  “It doesn’t matter where you come from; it matters where you are going.”

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, writer and journalist Campbell Brown, Former California Democratic Majority Leader Dr. Gloria Romero and former Louisiana State Senator Ann Duplessis all joined in the panel discussions about education reform in Louisiana, with the American Federation for Children’s executive counsel Kevin Chavous moderating.

“What is NOT a measure of success is the same ol’, same ol’,” Chavous said.

That’s why Louisiana’s legislators are fighting hard this legislative session, which began April 8, to protect the landmark Louisiana Scholarship Program that was expanded by a bipartisan group of legislators in 2012.  It allows students from low-to-middle income families with students enrolled failing and low-performing schools to use a scholarship to attend the school of their choice.  Students entering kindergarten for the first time who meet the income limits are also eligible.

Former Secretary of State Rice told the audience that Korean children learn in third grade what children in fifth grade learn in the United States, “even in the best of schools.”  Rice encouraged everyone to remember to fight back against the pervasive soft bigotry of low expectations when it comes to K-12 education.

That’s precisely why Gloria Romero said Louisiana’s education reforms are key: “If you don’t educate, you will incarcerate.  We’re spending all this money to lock up the failed result of our public education system.”

Despite bills taking aim at the Louisiana Scholarship Program during this year’s legislative session, Governor Jindal is standing strong to protect the reforms that are serving nearly 5,000 children across Louisiana.

“We’ll pass these reforms as many times as it takes to provide the kids of Louisiana with a quality education,” Jindal said.

Parents, Students, Lawmakers Rally at Ohio Statehouse in Support of School Choice

No amount of rain could stop nearly 2,000 parents, families, and education reform advocates as they packed the steps of the Ohio Statehouse yesterday in support of expanding education choice in the Buckeye State.  Speakers at the event included, Ohio Governor John Kasich (who announced earlier this year his plan to expand thestate’s existing private school choice program), AFC’s executive Counsel Kevin P. Chavous, Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder, House Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Huffman, State Senator Keith Faber, parents and students.  The event was sponsored by School Choice Ohio.Check out some of the photos below from the event!

Buckeye families pack the steps of the statehouse to show their support for educational options!

Governor John Kasich addressing rally attendees

AFC's Kevin P. Chavous pumping up the crowd

Chavous: Students Must Come First

Today's post comes from AFC's executive counsel Kevin P. Chavous:

 

One of the biggest stories in the news today is the Georgia cheating scandal.   Public schools in Atlanta, Georgia have fallen under pressure as evidence has surfaced showing that school administrators may have altered standardized test scores to make it appear students performed better than they actually did.

 

By altering the test scores, students did not win.  Only the schools and school districts “won” (that is until they got caught).  In fact, Retired district superintendent Beverly Hall was praised by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan for her work in turning around these poor and minority schools.  She was even named 2009 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.

 

According to Hall’s indictment for racketeering, “Principals and teachers were frequently told by Beverly Hall and her subordinates that excuses for not meeting targets would not be tolerated.”   To meet these “targets,” teachers were allegedly asked to gather the students’ test sheets and change incorrect answers.  These formerly failing schools were now outperforming the wealthier suburban schools, and the school officials were being touted education reform heroes, showing that a school can be turned around from within. 

 

“Our schools desperately need to be fixed,” wrote The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson in a column about the scandal.  “But creating a situation in which teachers are more likely than students to cheat cannot be the right path.”  I couldn’t agree more.   These Atlanta administrators touted themselves as “education reformers” but as I have said time after time, no school district has ever reformed itself from within.  Real education reform comes as a result of external pressures through educational choice.  

 

By providing families with access to educational options, parents have a choice in their child’s education.  Through options such as tax credits, scholarships, vouchers, charter schools, and traditional schools, families have a say in their child’s education.  As I said this earlier week on PBS NewsHour, “the only way we are going to fly this plane while we fix it, is by helping those kids with the immediate needs, and also providing the impetus for public schools to right-side themselves.”

 

Our nation’s education system needs to be about providing the best education to all children.  Every option must be on the table to ensure each and every student in America receives a high-quality education that will prepare them for tomorrow.

AFC's Kevin P. Chavous Featured Guest on PBS NewsHour

If you have been following our Facebook and Twitter pages closely, you are aware that AFC’s Kevin P. Chavous was a featured guest on Monday’s PBS NewsHour.    Kevin, along with National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel, discussed the Indiana Supreme Courtdecision upholding the state’s voucher program, along with the call to provide low- to middle-income families with educational options. 

If you happened to miss it, you are in luck!  Click below to watch the full interview.   

 

 

Kevin’s remarks were also the focus of a piece written by D.C. charter advocate Mark Lerner today in the Examiner in support of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.   Lerner said, “I love the urgency of Mr. Chavous' remarks. We know we are tens of thousands of high quality education seats short in the nation's capital. So as we allow competition to fix our public education system why don't we expand the Opportunity Scholarship Program to assist many more than the 1,600 children currently enrolled in the plan?”

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

Louisiana Voucher Trial Starts Today

The trial to determine the constitutionality of Louisiana’s statewide Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program started today.  Make sure you check in with our friends at the Louisiana Federation for Children for all the latest updates from inside the courtroom.

They're not only blogging about all the happenings of the trial, but we got a few photos from a rally that took place outside the courthouse this morning. Take a look below to see some of the students, parents, media members, and our senior advisor, Kevin P. Chavous, all of whom were on hand this morning.

Giving Thanks to Those Who Inspire

Kevin P. Chavous, our senior advisor, spent some time this week talking about a few education reforms in addition to educational choice.  In an editorial in Take Part, Kevin talks about an intangible factor we must consider when looking at teacher effectiveness—inspiration.

Here's an excerpt:

Don't get me wrong, I have long believed in tenure reform, performance pay, and many of the emerging criteria being used to better judge teacher effectiveness. But I also acknowledge and recognize that truly effective and great teachers can't be judged by these things alone. The best teachers inspire. Inspirational teachers are able to instill and nurture that quality in their students that remains the essence of the human spirit—the will to be better and the desire to do better.     

As we head into Thanksgiving, let’s remember some of the teachers that have inspired us and who today inspire our children.  As Kevin reminds us, there is no better time to thank the great teachers out there who inspire children everyday.

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

In The Root, Kevin P. Chavous Roots for Educational Choice

American Federation for Children Senior Advisor Kevin P. Chavous wrote today in The Root, the sister site to The Washington Post, about D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s initiative to close 20 poor-performing public schools why that means more educational choice is necessary in the nation's capital. In defending the decision and calling for more accountability, Kevin wrote:

For many young people, neighborhood public schools were the only gateway to economic empowerment. Today, however, the sad reality is that far too many of these historically significant public schools are not serving our kids well — and some need to be shut down. It’s tough, however, when people don’t know what they don’t know.

As a former member of the D.C. Council, Kevin has a lot to say on our K-12 education. Writing that “like it or not, accountability matters in K-12 education,” Kevin argues that we need more educational choice in the District, especially for those students attending poor-performing public schools:

But accountability in our schools is only one side of the large and expansive education-reform coin, one that must be coupled with educational choice to truly pay dividends for our children in the long run.

The educational choices in the District have been growing in recent years with charter schools and the reauthorization of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which allows District children to access a high-quality education today.

What do you do when the blood, sweat and tears of your history clashes with the realities of today?

That’s what Kevin P. Chavous, our senior advisor, asked in piece published yesterday on  The Huffington Post.  Looking at how Brown v. Board of Education shaped our education system in the last 60 years, Kevin questions how the educational gap for students of different racial and economic backgrounds continue to plague our country.  In looking for a solution, Kevin writes:

We must ensure that integrated schools and integrated classrooms are available to all students no matter their race or their class, and we must also start embracing and learning from our differences. Folks, we can raise academic achievement across the board while celebrating, not demonizing, the rich diversity of cultures in this country. Integrated schools are a win-win for all students. But we are going to have to teach our kids, and adults for that matter, the importance of appreciating and learning from their peers from different backgrounds. For if we don't, it will be impossible for future generations to succeed in today's diverse society where collaboration is a necessity and separate but equal is no longer a viable alternative.

The Huffington Post isn’t the only place that Kevin has been writing this week.  In Sunday’s Washington Post, Kevin wrote an editorial on what President Obama’s second term will look like and the fate of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Kevin knows firsthand how the OSP has changed family’s lives. He was a supporter of the program as a member of the D.C. Council when the program was created in 2004. And he continues to support the program.