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

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?

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.

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