Tag Archives: Cincinnati

Grateful for EdChoice

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Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means we will soon be gathering with friends and family to celebrate and be thankful. So, it only seems fitting that we feature stories this week from students located all across the state who are thankful to receive a scholarship to attend the school of their choice.

Ajee’s Story 

The EdChoice Scholarship means so much to me. This scholarship has given me the chance to attend a great private school that challenges me to do better. Without this scholarship, I would not be where I am now and doing the amazing things that I am doing. Basically, this scholarship has changed my life.

Receiving this scholarship gave me the opportunity to do great things. I was never really excited to come to a private school because I didn’t think I would like the environment. As I look back, I am so glad that I came to my school. The learning environment is great! The spirit of the school is also amazing! Without my EdChoice Scholarship, I would not be here right now and the thought of that breaks my heart. Being here at my school has given me the courage to do things that I never thought I could do. I love how all the teachers push you to do better even when you think you are already doing great. I was always the type of person that thought when I did good I was fine with that, but being here at my school taught me to try to do even better!

I love how the EdChoice Scholarship gives students like me the chance to attend a good private school and strive to do their best. I am so grateful for my EdChoice Scholarship. I do my best all the time in school to show them that they made the right choice by giving me the scholarship. I refuse to let this scholarship go to waste. This scholarship has changed my life in amazing ways, and I would like to thank the EdChoice people for that. I would not be here right now if it wasn’t for them. They gave me the chance to do better and to be a better person. I will get far in life, and I can thank EdChoice for that.

Cincinnati Legislative Candidates’ Night

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Yesterday, School Choice Ohio hosted its first Legislative Candidates’ Night at DePaul Cristo Rey High School in Cincinnati. Nearly 30 parents, candidates and school leaders came out to learn more about school choice in Ohio.

After opening remarks from SCO’s Cincinnati Mobilization and Outreach Coordinator Roni Craft, Sister Jeanne Bessette, the president of DePaul Cristo Rey, told those gathered about her school and the exciting opportunities that it presents to students in southwest Ohio, many of whom are attending the school with the help of an EdChoice scholarship.

Following Sister Bessette’s remarks, SCO Legislative Director Jason Warner spoke about our work on behalf of parents and students and presented information about the three scholarship programs available to families in southwest Ohio – the EdChoice Scholarship Program, the Autism Scholarship Program, and the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program. He also introduced four parents who spoke about their personal experiences with the scholarship programs and explained why they decided to take advantage of the scholarship programs.

Holli, the mother of two students who receive EdChoice scholarships, spoke about her personal experiences saying that her son used to struggle academically, but now he excels in school. He plans to go on to college and become a lawyer or a public servant.

Shawna and Carol each have a son with Autism. Shawna home schools her son, and Carol’s son attends Linden Grove School. Both of these moms shared their personal experiences with the Autism Scholarship and discussed how it is changing their lives.

Another parent, Havilah, who applied to be among the first to receive the new Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship, spoke about why she decided to apply for the scholarship to provide the services that her son requires to succeed.

Jason closed the program with a preview of some of the legislative issues that SCO will continue to advocate for during the next year, including the expansion of existing scholarship programs and the creation of a new, statewide income-based scholarship program, as well as continued advocacy for student-centered funding and greater availability of information to families about the existing scholarship programs.

The night was a great opportunity for parents to interact with Ohio’s present and future leaders and share their personal stories about how school choice has had a positive impact on their lives. Jason said it best in his closing statement at the event: “By working together, we can achieve the ultimate goal of ensuring that every child in the state receives the best education from the best schools.”

We are planning additional candidate events in Columbus and Akron in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more information about when these events will be coming to your area.

 

Cincinnati parents camp out for school of choice

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Wednesday, Cincinnati Public Schools opened its first-come, first serve application window for its magnet elementary schools. This day surely came as a relief to the more than 45 Ohio parents and family members who camped out in front of Fairview-Clifton German Language School since Nov. 6 to secure their spot in line.

This shows just how far parents are willing to go to ensure that their child receives an education that best fits his or her learning needs. These parents are investing in their child’s academic success. The Cincinnati Enquirer quotes a parent in one articlesaying, “I wish the line didn’t start this early, but in the long run, it’ll be worth it.”

A second article quoted another parent saying of her daughter, “She deserves the best. And I feel she should get it. So here I am.”

The Enquirer ran a follow-up storyyesterday talking with many families who were ecstatic that they were able to secure their child’s seat in one of the innovative magnet schools. For some, though, the outcome wasn’t nearly as exciting. One man interviewed for the story showed up to one of the magnet schools a mere 90 minutes after the parent who secured the last open kindergarten spot. His child is now on the waiting list.

This underscores an important problem with Cincinnati’s first-come, first-serve application process. Many parents can’t camp out in a line for 10 days for a variety of reasons, such as work, child care, or transportation. That shouldn’t mean that their children should be denied the opportunity to attend the school of their choice.

In Cleveland and Columbus, the school districts use a lottery system to avoid a first-come, first serve process, but the Cincinnati Enquirer said parents in Cincinnati have opposed switching to a similar system.

Cincinnati Public Schools did, however, open up a limited lottery for students in specified low-performing schools for a portion of the open spots. But it is clear based on the number of people camping out for days that these innovative schools are in high demand and that demand is exceeding the supply.

In July, the Cincinnati school board voted to become a “district of choice,” meaning that they intend to create even more special programs and options for its students. We hope that these new options come to fruition, because it is clear that the parents in Cincinnati want to be involved in their children’s education, and as a school district, Cincinnati Public Schools should be doing everything they can to encourage parents’ involvement and input. Parents, after all, are in the best position to choose the best educational path for their child.

Cincinnati Letters to the Editor Show Strong Support for School Choice

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Below are two letters to the editor in support of school vouchers that were recently posted on The Cincinnati Enquirer’s website. The first letter calls school vouchers a “ticket to freedom” for students. The second letter encourages Ohio parents to research all of the educational options available to their children. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Many students find themselves trapped in a school that does not meet their educational needs. Ohio’s school voucher programs provide eligible families with the opportunity to choose the best learning environment for their children. Putting a student in an environment that best fits his or her needs encourages academic success and allows that student to thrive.

We are pleased that Cincinnati letter writers Joseph Wessling and Allyson Williams are helping spread the word in their community about opportunities provided by school choice programs. Click here to learn how you can get involved and help spread the word about school choice in your community. 

For poor, vouchers can be ticket to freedom
Find this letter online here.

Sept. 1, 2011

In response to “Indiana vouchers prompt thousands to transfer, most to Catholic schools” (August 29):

Without vouchers, school funding is the educational equivalent of the Berlin Wall: If people don’t like the system, wall them so they can’t leave. There is, of course, an open gap in that wall for those with money, but the poor remain trapped. Vouchers can be their ticket to freedom.

Joseph Wessling
North Avondale

Thankful for EdChoice program
Find this letter online here.

Aug 31, 2011

This year is an exciting year for my family. My daughter began kindergarten this school year. Naomi was given the opportunity to attend a private school in our neighborhood. The EdChoice Scholarship Program opened educational doors that otherwise may have been closed for Naomi. I feel blessed and excited that I can send my child to school in a learning environment that best fits her needs. It is very important that we as parents encourage and support our children to reach their full potential. The EdChoice Program has helped me to give my child the opportunity to reach her full potential.

I would encourage every parent whose child is struggling in their current learning environment to research the state’s school choice programs and all the options available. I am thankful that Ohio provides educational opportunities for our children. My daughter began kindergarten at the school of our choice! Thank you to all the legislators and advocates of the EdChoice Scholarship Program.

Allyson Williams
Westwood

Proving Murray Wrong in Ohio

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We’re just a day away from the release of a new report, “Needles in a Haystack,” due out tomorrow from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The report will highlight the achievements of eight schools in Ohio that work with high-needs students’ and are achieving great results.

Not long after reading about the inspiring “Needles in a Haystack” project, I came across Charles Murray’s article, “Why Charter Schools Fail the Test”, published in the New York Times on May 4.

I agreed with one of Murray’s underlying messages: school choice should not be reserved for affluent parents, but should be available to all families in order to ensure each child receives the education he or she deserves. However, I found one statement in the article unsettling:

“Cognitive ability, personality and motivation come mostly from home. What happens in the classroom can have some effect, but smart and motivated children will tend to learn to read and do math even with poor instruction, while not-so-smart or unmotivated children will often have trouble with those subjects despite excellent instruction.”

The very idea Murray proposes – that economically-disadvantaged children will have trouble despite excellent instruction – quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that can itself contribute to underachievement.  Murray’s view has been discredited by schools all over the country – schools like the ones featured in “Needles in a Haystack.”  Across Ohio, schools in high-needs areas are proving that the same children who were labeled “not-so-smart or unmotivated” in the past can earn test scores that match or surpass the state’s highest performers.

The “Needles in a Haystack” report is just a glimpse of the academic success that can be achieved in high-needs areas when the correct steps are taken.  These schools are proof that no matter their background students can and will succeed when given the chance, regardless of what expectations Charles Murray has for them. 

These 2009 statistics, taken from Fordham’s “Needles in a Haystack” videos, speak for themselves:

Cleveland:

Citizens’ Academy (80% economically-disadvantaged students)

      Cleveland School District Students who passed the state reading test = 49%

      Citizens’ Academy students who passed the state reading test = 91%

Cincinnati:

College Hill Fundamental Academy (78% economically-disadvantaged students)

      Cincinnati district students who passed the state math test = 53%

      College Hill students who passed the state math test = 76%

Canton:

McGregor Elementary (90% economically disadvantaged students)

     Canton school district students who passed the state reading test = 59%  

     McGregor students who passed the state reading test = 76%

Columbus:

Valleyview Elementary (86% economically disadvantaged students)

     Columbus district students who passed the state math test = 58%

     Valleyview students who passed the state math test = 72%

Be on the lookout for the Fordham study, available here tomorrow. We’re grateful for these schools that continue to prove the experts wrong.

- Marisa Simon