School Choice and Education News
May 23 – May 30, 2013

Ohio

Non-traditional high school graduates grows
Dayton Daily News
May 25, 2013
A growing number of Ohio high school students are graduating from non-traditional high schools, including brick-and-mortar charter schools, e-schools and STEM schools. The most rapid growth has been among e-schools, where students attend school online from home. In 2002, there were 63 e-school graduates, compared to 1,096 graduates in 2006 and 3,373 graduates in 2011. According to the Dayton Daily News, the number of graduates from brick-and-mortar charter schools has also grown from 517 in 2002, 2,028 in 2006 and 2,887 in 2011.

IN OUR SCHOOLS: Purcell Marian changing method of teaching math
The Cincinnati Enquirer
May 28, 2013
Next year, Purcell Marian High will begin mandating that every math class become a blended-learning class, which generally requires at least 50 percent of the learning to be done via computer, according to the Enquirer. The school says that this will allow for instruction to be more student-tailored and customized, with online testing and lessons that will be based on a student’s skill level and building on that as a student progresses at his or her own pace.

State official impressed with immersion school
Mansfield News Journal
May 30, 2013
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard Ross visited Mansfield’s Spanish Immersion School this week. He told the Mansfield News Journal that he was “impressed” and that the school is “…a success story that we need to be talking about.” The school opened in 2007 with the goal of helping students become proficient in another language, in this case Spanish, early in their studies.

National

Private school tax credit for disabled OK’d
Greenville Online
May 25, 2013
South Carolina’s Senate has approved a tax credit for donations made for private school scholarships for students with special needs. The tax credit would be up to $10,000 or the amount a person owes in taxes, whichever is lower. According to The Greenville News, it would go for donations made to nonprofits that give disabled students private school tuition grants of up to $10,000. The state would allow up to $5 million in tax credits.

More students turn to career academies
USA Today
May 27, 2013
President Obama has proposed that $1 billion in his administration’s fiscal-year 2013 budget go toward expanding the number of career academies and increasing opportunities for students to participate in college-preparatory and career and technical curricula in their schools, according to USA Today. Ashley Parker, spokeswoman for the Association for Career and Technical Education, said the reasons for the higher demand of these programs are obvious, including the cost savings by having the opportunity to explore interests outside of college as well as improved academic performance.

Today, we were happy to have two parents and school choice advocates from Cincinnati testify before the Senate Finance Committee in support of the income-based scholarship program proposal included in House Bill 59, the state budget.  Vanessa and Angelia both made the drive to Columbus to encourage legislators to support the income-based scholarship.

Angelia and Vanessa 

See some excerpts from their testimony below:

“The income-based scholarship you are considering as a part of this bill would not only help my family, but many, many more in our community and throughout the state. We are parents who only want the best for our children. I ask you to think about this from the perspective of parents, parents who want only the best for your children.” – an excerpt from Vanessa’s testimony

“My name is Angelia Eversole and I have a 5-year-old daughter (Ava) entering kindergarten this August. I support the income based scholarship. If the scholarship passes, Ava will be able to go to private school. This will be a dream come true for our family. Our neighborhood school has a lot of bullying. My two older children have been bullied at this school. My son with special needs was finally transferred to another school. It would be great if Ava can avoid this.” – an excerpt from Angelia’s testimony

Thank you Vanessa and Angelia for coming to Columbus today to share your personal stories and your support of the income-based scholarship program!

If you are interested in more information on the income-based scholarship program, visit www.scohio.org/scholarship.

EdChoice Scholarship recipient Walter Woodard presented testimony to the Senate Education Finance Subcommittee, yesterday. His testimony shares his personal educational journey and the impact the EdChoice Scholarship has had on it.

Governor Kasich’s income-based scholarship program proposal would give kids just like Walter the same opportunity to receive an education that fits their needs. With this proposed scholarship, families across Ohio could send their kids to the school of their choice, regardless of their income level.

Read excerpts from Walter’s testimony below.

Hello, my name is Walter Woodard, and I am one of the many that have been impacted in a positive way through the EdChoice Scholarship. After the second grade, I was put in a different school every year because I never could find one that was right for me. I was a kid being raised without a father, and I was diagnosed with ADHD. Things got very complicated and unbearable. I felt like no one truly understood what I was dealing with, and I had no one to go to with my problems. There were many times when I would come home from school with torn clothes, missing buttons and shoelaces and multiple bruises.

We never really understood what to do until one day we got a phone call telling us that the current school I was attending was on academic emergency and that I could possibly qualify for the EdChoice Scholarship. After looking at new schools, we found Tree of Life Christian and instantly it became my home. I got held back a year because I didn’t test high enough on the acceptance test. I attended my sixth grade year and have been there ever since. Now, almost five years later and one year away from graduation, my life has completely turned around in ways I cannot describe. I have found so many qualities within myself that I have never seen before. I also have been nominated multiple times by classmates and teachers to be on the student council and in various leadership roles.

There is no true way to describe how the EdChoice Scholarship has changed my life for the better, but what I can say is that without it I wouldn’t even be close to the young man that I have turned into. I am not only testifying, but I’m also encouraging everyone to go into the schools and see exactly what it is we are fighting for and how this scholarship truly helps people. By doing this, it may encourage everyone to fight even harder for education for everyone.