04.17.14 Daily News Clips – morning edition

Tweet of the morning

‏@RebeccaSibilia: Indeed! RT @ericlerum: Now this is interesting. @SenWarren thinks public ed system needs a shock. #schoolchoice http://bit.ly/1te6ZEd

American Federation for Children

Ariz. Legislature passes bill allowing small businesses to provide scholarships for low-income children

http://federationforchildren.org/articles/882

Arizona School Choice

Wall Street Journal: Schooling on a 'Debit Card'

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304819004579490120210688350?KEYWORDS=school+choice&mg=reno64-wsj

Louisiana Scholarship Program Audit: Much Ado?

By Whitney Marcavage
Policy Director 
American Federation for Children

In some circles, much is being made of the recently released legislative audit of Louisiana’s Scholarship Program, a statewide voucher program that allows low-income families with children zoned to attend failing public schools the option to attend a participating private school or high-performing public school of their choice. 

Currently, about 6,750 such students are participating in the program, 86 percent of whom are African-American. These are kids who need educational options. It is worth keeping in mind that a multi-year, scientifically-based evaluation of a similar school choice programin Florida has consistently found that the scholarship program in that state serves students who “tend to come from lower-performing public schools prior to entering the program. Likewise, as in prior years, they tend to be among the lowest-performing students in their prior school, regardless of the performance level of their public school.”

The legislative audit itself makes clear the high demand for the program – student participation increased 269 percent from school year 2011-12 2013-14, the two years since the program was expanded to serve students statewide beyond Orleans Parish – including a 38 percent jump in enrollment since last year. 

12.2.13 Daily News Clips - afternoon edition

Educational Choice Quote of the Day

"My child attends a public, free “virtual” charter school. I was interested in this because she suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disability that affects stability in her arms and legs. ... This school works." 

- Jody Curson, parent. 

Vouchers – Louisiana

Bayou Buzz: School still out on Louisiana voucher program impact

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/buzz/item/560205-school-still-out-on-louisiana-voucher-program-impact

11.25.13 Daily News Clips

Tweet of the Morning:

@PEFNC Not sure if you are eligible for NC Opportunity Scholarships? Here is a great tool, the eligibility calculator! http://bit.ly/187gVWx 

American Federation for Children

PARENTS SHOULD CONTROL THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS, NOT FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS

http://federationforchildren.org/articles/856

The Advocate: Former school voucher foe heads pro-voucher group

http://theadvocate.com/home/7564929-125/former-voucher-foe-heads-pro-voucher

Journal Sentinel: Republican Jessie Rodriguez elected to Assembly for 21st District

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/republican-jessie-rodriguez-elected-to-assembly-b99144203z1-232608671.html

  

Fighting fiction with fact & reality

By Kevin P. Chavous

Yesterday, Politico published “Vouchers don’t do much for students.” This misleading piece was based on cherry picking data and used talking points identical to those used by the NEA and AFT.

Every day, across America, in 18 states and the District of Columbia, nearly a quarter of a million children attend a school of their choice, many of those students are improving academically, and all have new options, new outcomes, and a new hope for a brighter future because of educational choice. While the outspoken opponents of educational choice and the story cited above try to protect the “system” and oppose parents from having the right to choose the best education for their child, the facts remain on our side.

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.

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.

Louisiana Families LOVE their scholarship school!

A recent survey conducted by the Louisiana Federation for Children and the Black Alliance for Educational Options found that an overwhelming majority – 92.5 percent of parents are either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their child’s scholarship school!

The direct mail survey also found that 93.6 percent of parents are happy with their child’s academic progress; 99.3 percent of parents said they feel their child is safe at their scholarship school; and 98.1 percent of parents said they feel welcome when they visit their child’s scholarship school.

This sentiment rang true as hundreds of Louisiana scholarship families and education reform advocates packed the steps outside of the Louisiana State Supreme Court in New Orleans yesterday to show their support for their educational choice.

With the mantra “put kids first!” families made their voices heard preceding a Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of the program’s funding mechanism.

Nearly 4,700 students are currently enrolled in the Louisiana Scholarship Program.  To qualify for the program, students must be enrolled in an underperforming or failing school and have a family income not exceeding 250 percent of the federal poverty guideline ($57,625 for a family of four).

AFC's Kevin P. Chavous firing up the crowd at the Louisiana rally

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

Louisiana Families Celebrate Educational Options with Marvin Sapp

 

Over 2,000 of our friends in Louisiana had the opportunity to spend “An Evening with Marvin Sapp,” last night, in celebration of educational options for African American families.

The Grammy-nominated, Dove, Stellar and BET award-winning gospel artist and Michigan pastor was in Baton Rouge, LA as part of his multi-city tour, sponsored by the Black Alliance for Educational Options through its “Give Parents a Choice, Give Children a Chance” campaign.

Dr. Sapp is a proponent of school choice, as he opened a charter school in Grand Rapids, Michigan this school year for performing arts students.  The Grand Rapids Ellington Academy of Arts and Technology is the first performing arts school in the West Michigan area. 

In addition to a special performance for the crowd, Sapp also talked about the importance of educational options for all students, and the choices available in the state for families seeking better educational opportunities.

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

Reactions to the Lower Court Ruling on Voucher Program Funding Mechanism

A scholarship student stands outside the courthouse in Baton Rouge on the first day of the trial.

We brought you news late last week of a judge's decision to rule against the funding mechanism for the statewide Louisiana voucher program. Since the ruling was handed down Friday afternoon, a number of supporters of educational choice have spoken out against the ruling, reinforced their support for kids, and pledge to fight on.

Take a look below for just a few of the responses.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” said Tirany Howard, whose three children are receiving scholarships through the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program.  “For once, I felt like as a society we’re moving forward, putting kids first, but it’s still about money.”

“We will do everything possible to make sure the children who are benefitting from this important scholarship program – and the thousands of children who are seeking to enter the program—will continue to have this option. They’ve made far too much progress to go back.”

Kevin P. Chavous, senior advisor, American Federation for Children

"Today's ruling is wrongheaded and a travesty for parents across Louisiana who want nothing more than for their children to have an equal opportunity at receiving a great education," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement. "That opportunity is a chance that every child deserves and we will continue the fight to give it to them."

Day 2: The Louisiana Trial

As the second day of trial continues, make sure to read the latest update from the Institute for Justice at the Louisiana Federation for Children’s blog, and also be sure to follow LFC on Twitter!

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

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.

An Update from the Courts

A number of opponents of educational choice have taken to the courts to litigate the future of the programs benefiting low-income families across the country. Here's an update on where things stand nationwide:

Indiana: On Wednesday, the Indiana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the Choice Scholarship Program that was enacted into law in 2012.  Twelve plaintiffs, including the newly-elected state superintendent of public education, have sued the state claiming the program in unconstitutional.  Marion Superior Judge Michael Keele rejected this claim earlier this year and ruled that the program is constitutional.  In the 2012-13 school year, more than 9,000 students are using a Choice Scholarship to attend the school of their parents’ choice. 

Louisiana: After the Louisiana state legislature—with strong bipartisan support—passed the statewide expansion of the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program statewide, the Louisiana Association of Educator sued to prevent the program from going forward. After a delay, the court date on the program is scheduled for November 28.

Oklahoma: In June, a Tulsa judge ruled the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program unconstitutional and there is no word on when the appeal will be heard, though Representative Jason Nelson predicts the program will be heard early next year.  In the 2012-13 school year, 188 students are participating in the program and three new schools are accepting voucher students.

Douglas County, Colorado: The Colorado State Court of Appeals is hearing oral arguments today on the constitutionality of the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program.  The lower court put an injunction on the program from moving forward after the program was created for students living in the Douglas County School District.

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

An Accountability Update

In addition to the progress in 2012—with five new programs enacted and six existing programs strengthened—the educational choice movement has seen a significant increase in accountability standards in private school choice programs across the country.

Among the programs that have seen new accountability standards:

• Louisiana’s Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program
• Among other requirements, a participating school that receives a low Scholarship Cohort Index score cannot enroll additional scholarship recipients for the next school year. Scholarship students attending a participating school labeled failing will have first priority admission to attend another participating school the following year. 
• Pennsylvania’s Educational Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit
• The new scholarship tax credit program for students attending Pennsylvania’s worst performing public schools requires additional reporting and transparency measures for Scholarship Organizations, including reporting the number of scholarships awarded to students from low-income families.
• Virginia’s Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits
• The scholarship tax credit program created in 2012 requires participating private schools to measure annually scholarship students’ progress in reading and math with a national, norm-referenced achievement test and report those results to the state.  Beginning in the program’s third year, those results will be published on the Department of Education’s website.

 Check out the Alliance for School Choice’s 2012 Private School Choice Accountability Update for more information on accountability standards in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

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

Kevin P. Chavous Gets it Right on Education Reform in Louisiana

While special interests have been more concerned with, well, special interests, than providing the best education for our children, advocates have been fighting for more educational choice for low-income families in Louisiana.

The state's governor, Bobby Jindal, earlier this year joined with a bipartisan coalition of state legislators to create a strong education reform package that included a statewide expansion of the Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence voucher program. And just a few months later, State School Superintendent John White put forth an accountability proposal that would further strengthen the program.

Alternatively, special interests sued the state over the expanded voucher program, attacked the officials that stood for children, and argued that “public money should go to public schools.”

Luckily, AFC Senior Advisor Kevin P. Chavous set the record straight in a letter to the editor in The Times-Picayune: public money should go to educate children in the best way possible, regardless of the system. Here’s what Kevin had to say:

Re: "Public money should go to public schools," Your Opinions, Oct. 16. State School Superintendent John White's support for the state voucher program is perfectly in line with his commitment to public schools, but more importantly, it's consistent with his commitment to making sure all children -- regardless of the system -- have access to a high-quality education.

For many families, that means a public school, but what about the families for which the public schools simply aren't working? In a state where 36 percent of all public schools are ranked D's or F's and 230,000 public school students are currently performing below grade level, the truth is that we need to give many families another option -- immediately. We've talked for decades about improving our public school system, but the pace of reform is too slow, and Louisiana has always ranked in the bottom five in K-12 public education outcomes.

Read Kevin's full letter by clicking here.

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

The Other Good News About the Louisiana Voucher Program

Last week, the Louisiana Department of Education reported that nearly 4,944 students are participating in the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) Program this year.  As nearly 5,000 families celebrated hearing that their children would be escaping poor-performing public schools and education reform advocates celebrated a large growth in parental options in the Bayou State, one part of the story got lost in the news.

The Department reported that 118 schools were participating in the program and one school—Park Vista Elementary in St. Landry Parish—was the only public school accepting voucher students.

The school, located in Opelousas, La., is the only B-rated school in the Parish.  Not only is the school high-performing, it serves a large percentage of students living in poverty.

The school decided to participate because the staff wanted to help students.

"To be honest with you the staff are the ones that said ‘why don't we do that,’ said Park Vista Elementary Principal Ulysse Joubert.  “I said very good."

Watch a report about the school below.

In Louisiana, Voucher School Says It's "Up to the Challenge" of Improving Student Performance

Just yesterday we told you that nearly 5,000 students have enrolled in Louisiana's newly-expanded voucher program. Today, check out this great video on the experience of one school participating in the program:

Hosanna Christian Academy is educating 283 students participating in the voucher program.  The school hired 22 new teachers to teach the nearly 600 students who attend the school.

"I love new students," said Zanetta Trahan, an American History teacher at the school. "I love the opportunity to teach new students. I see them all as potential scholars."

Principal Josh LeSage has for months been excited for the school year to start, in part because of Hosanna's ability to participate in the program. He'll also soon be taking part in a state education panel on the program, where he intends to recommend that greater preference be given to siblings of current students.

Though LeSage notes that many of the voucher students are two or three grade level behind, the school is up to the challenge. 

“I always feel good to be a part of an effort that says you know what these kids can grow and learn and grow and achieve as well," he said. "They're parents' pocket book doesn't really matter."

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

BREAKING NEWS: Nearly 5,000 Students Enroll in Expanded Louisiana Voucher Program

The Louisiana Department of Education today announced that 4,944 students at nearly 120 schools are participating in the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program in the 2012-13 school year.

More than 10,300 students applied for scholarships after Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the statewide expansion into law earlier this year.

The program was originally created in 2008 for students from low-income families that attended failing schools in Orleans Parish.  The legislature passed the statewide expansion of the program with strong bipartisan support earlier this year.  The expanded program allowed students from low-income families that attended schools rated “C,’ “D,” or “F” to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

Click here for more information!

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice

Virginia Walden Ford: "I am offended" by racist Louisiana teachers' union attacks

After the Louisiana Federation of Teachers took to Twitter to spread baseless rumors that the Black Alliance for Educational Options supported “teaching that the KKK is good,” longtime education reformer Virginia Walden Ford, who was instrumental in fighting for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship, wrote the following letter:

Last night, I learned that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers took to Twitter to spread a false, ridiculous, and offense rumor.  They claimed that the Black Alliance for Educational Options—an organization that fights to provide a high-quality education to black children—supports teaching that the Kl Klux Klan is good.

I am offended.

The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) is a group that works tirelessly to ensure that black children have access to the best educational options.  The reality is that black children are being left behind: the achievement gap is far too large and more black men are in prisons than in colleges in this country.

In Washington, D.C., I worked side-by-side with BAEO to fight for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.  We worked together because the children of D.C.—just like the children in Louisiana and all across the country—deserve a great education.  It is our duty to ensure that all of our children, especially our disadvantaged children—receive a great education.  And it’s working.  In D.C. scholarship program, more than 85 percent of participating students are African American and the program has a graduation rate of 91 percent.  And just last week, the Brookings Institution and Harvard University released a study that demonstrated that African American students who receive a voucher are 24 percent more likely to enroll in college.

We have come so far as a nation, but we have so more work to do.  Growing up, I attended one the first desegregated high schools in Arkansas.  Today, we have leaders standing up for our children.  Great leaders, from Condoleezza Rice—who just yesterday called our education crisis the social justice issue of our time—to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, are fighting entrenched special interest groups that are more interested in protecting the status quo than in finding solutions to our education crisis.

I believe in school choice because the children that we have been left behind need an educational lifeline and they need it now.  Vouchers provide that opportunity.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers owes BAEO an apology.  I have spent my life working—alongside BAEO and all school choice advocates—to provide a better education for our children.  And I didn’t do it to be accused of supporting a hate group that terrorized a generation of Americans by spreading hate and fear.

—Virginia

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice

Back to School in Louisiana: A Legal Discussion on Vouchers

Check out this great discussion on Louisiana’s expanded voucher program in the special Back-to-School edition of The Legal Round Table, where host Shenequa Grey speaks to Eric Lewis of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Steve Monaghan of the Louisiana Federation for Teachers on the newly expanded voucher program and the lawsuit brought on by several special interest groups.  Grey then interviews Brian Blackwell, who sent the now infamous letter that threatened private schools participating in the newly-expanded program on behalf of the Louisiana Association of Educators.

Scroll to 10 minutes to watch the beginning of the discussion between Lewis and Blackwell.



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