Tag Archives: National School Choice Week

School choice is important because all kids are different

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Recently, we announced the “I Love My School!” essay contest, and we were so excited to see how many responded!

In celebration of National School Choice Week we will reveal one of the winners from the contest each day this week. Check back every day to see if your “I Love My School!” essay was chosen as one of our winners.

Suzanne Rivera is our winner! She sent in a parent essay to tell us why Grand River Academy is a good fit for her son. Read Suzanne’s essay below.

When our children were small, we did not think much about school choice. They attended our local neighborhood public schools and we assumed they would continue to do so through high school.

As our son approached junior high, he began to struggle academically and his behavior changed. He became rebellious and stopped caring about school. Our relationship with him deteriorated. We tried counseling and other supportive interventions but things just got worse. It was painful and frightening to watch our child, who previously had been a straight-A student with a happy disposition, become withdrawn, angry, and apathetic about his own future.

We moved him to a private day school for ninth grade, but the problems escalated. In addition to getting poor grades, our son began taking the kinds of risks that made us fear for his safety. We knew he needed a big change.

Fortunately, we learned about the Grand River Academy (GRA) in Austinburg, Ohio. This unique all boys boarding school, tucked away in rural Ashtabula County, was a life saver for our son and for us.

The school houses only about 100 boys from all over the country and the world. Every student has a story to tell about the road that led him to GRA. Many have attention deficits that made it hard to concentrate in a traditional classroom setting. Others had chemical dependencies or disciplinary issues. Some were struggling socially and just needed a more nurturing environment.

Regardless of why they come to GRA, all the students there benefit from its unusual mix of structure, consistency, logical consequences, opportunities to experience success, and an abundance of positive reinforcement for constructive decisions. Boarding allows the school to reinforce its expectations around the clock in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the dining hall, and in the dorms. Most teachers live on campus with the boys, creating a family atmosphere away from home.

In short, GRA really helped turn our son around. He entered with a terrible attitude and little interest in college. After 3 years, he has been captain of the soccer team, has written award winning articles for the local newspaper, and recently was elected student body president. To our delight, he has dramatically improved his grades and did well enough on the SAT to be courted by numerous colleges. As I write this, we await news on 2 of his “early action” college applications.

School choice is important because all kids are different. A one size fits all approach may be fine for some, but once we realized our son needed a change of environment, we knew the greatest gift we could give him would be a high school that could get him back on track to a bright future. The decision was not easy, but we are so fortunate to have had the option.

Some people might read this and think, “I could never send my kid away.” At one time, we thought so, too. Although we worried we would lose our son by sending him to boarding school, nothing could be further from the truth. Our son was lost before. GRA helped him to rediscover the person he always was capable of becoming. The school returned our son to us and for that we will be eternally grateful.

National School Choice Week’s Whistle-Stop Train Tour

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Every 26 seconds, one American child drops out of school. Being aware of this educational crisis, National School Choice Week is hosting the Whistle Stop Train Tour to voice the need for educational options that ensure each student receives a quality education.

According to School Choice Week, the goal of the tour  is to show support, and demand, for school choice while highlighting hundreds of organizations, thousands of schools, and millions of Americans working every day to increase access to great schools.

The Whistle-Stop Train Tour will link the modern-day fight for educational equality to other important movements that have shaped the American way of life, such as suffrage and civil rights, which used similar whistle-stop tours to generate support.

This train will make its way from coast to coast, starting in Los Angeles and finishing in New York City, making 14 stops along the way. Each stop will be holding a unique event ranging from rallies to flash mobs to conventions. These events will be used to spread knowledge of what school choice means, how a child can receive his or her best education, and gain community and national support for school choice.

Not only will National School Choice Week be celebrated in the 14 cities along the train tour, but there are more than 3,500 events nationwide to get involved with.

School Choice Week’s Whistle-Stop Train Tour

Whistle-Stop Train Tour Stops:

  • January 25: Los Angeles, CA
  • January 26: Albuquerque, NM
  • January 28: Topeka, KS
  • January 28: Kansas City, MO
  • January 29: Chicago, IL
  • January 30: Milwaukee, WI
  • January 30: South Bend, IN
  • January 31: Toledo, OH
  • January 31: Cleveland, OH
  • January 31: Erie, PA
  • February 1: Buffalo, NY
  • February 1: Rochester, NY
  • February 1: Albany, NY
  • February 2: New York, NY

For more information on the Whistle-Stop Train Tour, visit:  http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/train

Children thrive when they attend a school that is a great fit for them

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Recently, we announced the “I Love My School!” essay contest, and we were so excited to see how many responded!

In celebration of National School Choice Week we will reveal one of the winners from the contest each day this week! Check back every day to see if your “I Love My School!” essay was chosen as one of our winners!

Today’s winner is Abby Awad who attends Seton High School in Cincinnati and thinks it is a great fit for her. Read Abby’s essay below!

When it comes to education, one size does not fit all. Children thrive when they attend a school that is a great for them academically, socially, and in some cases, spiritually. I am blessed to attend Seton High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and I can wholeheartedly say that a day does not go by at this school where I am not presented with the opportunities, the resources, and the support I need to succeed.

From a young age, the vision of me as a Seton Saint never left my mind. My mother attended Seton, my older cousins attended Seton, and most people in my close knit community attended Seton. Though it may seem as if I had few options of where to attend high school, it was always my decision. When I was in grade school, Seton’s constant presence was never suffocating or overwhelming; instead, it felt like I had something waiting for me, something that I wouldn’t grasp the importance of until I was enrolled.

I love Seton High School and I cannot picture myself anywhere else. I am constantly surrounded by people who love me – friends, teachers, and counselors – and who are willing to help me become the best person I can be. The classes offered are interesting and challenging. The classes I have taken over the course of my high school career have prepared me academically for what lies ahead. I am pushed to succeed in all areas of my life, and I am encouraged to reach out to others. This school is a great fit for my family and me because it provides me with a caring and supportive community in which I can thrive. I have a very close family, several of which are Seton alumni, who along with the rest of the community have helped me grow into a determined, hardworking, and successful student with balanced personal interests and priceless life experiences.

Just as a plant must have the proper conditions to grow, a child must have a proper learning environment in order to prosper and succeed. Every child is unique and has unique learning, social, and emotional needs. These needs are most often met by a combination of influences from the child’s home, friends, and school. Children must be placed in a school that can meet their needs and shape them into strong, intelligent, hardworking people that can face any challenge in the future. Schools such as Seton are a perfect fit for many girls because they meet the needs of each individual student and provide many opportunities for them to succeed, just like the right school should.

When it comes to education, each child is unique and requires individual conditions in order to grow and succeed. My school, Seton High School, is the perfect fit for me because it meets and exceeds my academics, social, and spiritual needs on a daily basis. Each and every child deserves to attend a school that is a great fit for him or her because proper education is vital to success, and a proper education cannot be obtained without the proper learning environment.

Governor Kasich proclaims it School Choice Week in Ohio

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governor's proclamatino

Governor John Kasich has prepared a resolution officially recognizing January 27 – February 2, 2013, as School Choice Week in Ohio. Check out the full text of the resolution below!

Whereas, Ohio has long been a pioneer in the realm of school choice; from the first convening of the Governor’s Commission on Educational Choice in 1991, with the message to Ohio’s parents: you do have a choice in finding the best education for your children; and

Whereas, The Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, which began in 1995, was among the first in the nation to offer a private school tuition voucher to students in a struggling urban district, and in 2010-2012, 5,000 students attended private schools with state-funded scholarships through this program; and

Whereas, Ohio created a system of charter/community schools in 1997, giving parents statewide options for education without tuition and very few carriers to access, and today, charters/community schools serve 99,720 students throughout the state; and

Whereas, in 2003, the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program was created, becoming the only voucher program in the United States to focus solely on the educational needs of children with autism, and today, this program is still unique in the U.S. and is serving 2,000 students statewide, and the new Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship was created in the 129th General Assembly with the capacity to serve up to 12,000 additional students this year; and

Whereas, the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship was created in 2005 to provide private school tuition vouchers to students in underperforming public schools anywhere in the state, and in 2011-2012, the program provided 15,400 students with scholarships; and

Whereas, traditional public school choice has been around even longer than all of the above options, with open enrollment between public school districts beginning in 1989; and

Whereas, by observing National School Choice Week in Ohio, out citizens can truly recognize that Ohio is front and center in the important work of giving all children access to a quality education.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, John R. Kasich, Governor of the State of Ohio, do hereby recognize January 27-February 2, 2013 as SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK throughout Ohio and call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.

On this 27th Day of January, 2013;

John R. Kasich
Governor

National School Choice Week begins!

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National School Choice Week begins today, Sunday, January 27th!

National School Choice Week is January 27-February 2 this year, and more than 3,000 events are being held across the United States to celebrate!

National School Choice Week is held every January to highlight the need for effective education options for all children. National School Choice Week’s participants support a variety of school choices for families, including public schools, charter schools, private schools, magnet schools, digital/online learning, and homeschooling.

This year, National School Choice Week is hosting the first-ever nationwide, Whistle-Stop Train Tour. The train will stop in 14 different cities across the U.S. There are two stops scheduled in Ohio, in Toledo and Cleveland, on January 31.

For more information on National School Choice Week, the Whistle-Stop Train Tour or to search for an event, visit http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/.

Why do you support school choice?

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Our friends at National School Choice Week launched a new campaign today to highlight the passion and diversity of the school choice movement. They are asking school choice supporters to pose for a photo with a placard that explains why they support school choice.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently posed for a photo with his placard that read, “Every child deserves the chance to get a great education.” Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s read, “Choice is Freedom!”

You can participate too!

  1. Download and print a copy of the placard from National School Choice Week’s website.
  2. Fill in the blank with why you support school choice.
  3. Pose for a photo with you holding the sign.
  4. Post to Twitter using #SchoolChoice and on the National School Choice Week Facebook page at facebook.com/schoolchoiceweek.

Don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account? No worries. Just email us the photos at kfrazier@scohio.org, and we would be happy to tweet and post them on your behalf!

So go on, print out your placard, and tell the world why you support school choice. We can’t wait to see all the photos!

School Choice Week a Success in Ohio

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School Choice Ohio spent National School Choice Week hosting several events in areas all over the state – from Columbus to Akron, from Canton to Youngstown – talking about some of the great school options available to Ohio families and the importance of the state’s scholarship programs.

The week was lively! From school fairs to press conferences, from advocacy days to community events, here is a rundown of the highlights:

  • We kicked off the week in Akron on Sunday with a School Choice Fair that highlighted more than 50 public, private, charter, virtual, dropout recovery, Waldorf, faith-based, and arts-based schools in the Akron area. Many local families had the opportunity to learn about the diverse array of options available in their community. Check out this article from the Akron Beacon Journal about the event.
  • SCO held a press conference on Monday to discuss the legislative wins for Ohio families in 2011 and to announce our legislative goals for 2012. A parent who plans to use Ohio’s new special needs scholarship program shared her story and talked about how the scholarship will change her son’s life. We also took this opportunity to release SCO’s 2011 Annual Report and debut a new video that shows the growth and success of Ohio’s school voucher programs.
  • Private school principals attended a roundtable discussion about school choice advocacy with nationally known parent advocate Virginia Walden Ford. Columbus supporters also gathered for an evening event with Virginia to hear about her experience as a school choice advocate in DC and learn from her successes.

 

  • Tuesday was our Day at the Capitol. We co-sponsored a luncheon with Forum for Educational Options that celebrated the variety of Ohio’s educational options. Following the luncheon, School Choice Ohio partnered with our friends at BAEO for an advocacy day. Parents met with Ohio legislators to discuss the need for more school choice opportunities in Ohio. On Tuesday evening, Akron parents gathered for an event at Emmanuel Christian Academy with Virginia Walden Ford to discuss the importance of school choice advocacy.
  • Thursday, we hit the road and headed to Northeast Ohio. We invited local media outlets to Heritage Christian School in Canton and Youngstown Christian School in Youngstown to learn more about the impact of school choice in their communities. Local media outlets attended both events where we discussed the state’s scholarship programs and highlighted success stories from local families. Read the article from the Canton Repository here and the article from the Youngstown Vindicator here.

 

We couldn’t be happier with our events last week, and we are especially grateful to Virginia Walden Ford for traveling all the way up from Arkansas to celebrate with us.  We are also thankful that Gov. John Kasich recognized School Choice Week in Ohio with a resolution.

This is just the beginning of an exciting year. Your support is so important, and we are thankful for your involvement. If you would like to join our efforts in new ways, whether as an ambassador, donor, supporter, or volunteer, we welcome your partnership.

Thank you for celebrating School Choice Week with us, and stay tuned for more exciting news throughout the year.

School Choice Changing Lives in Ohio

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School Choice Ohio is grateful to have such a strong team of school choice parent and student ambassadors across the state who write letters, give testimony, and share their stories. As School Choice Week comes to an end, take a look back at some great quotes shared by Ohio parents and students.
 
“It was not easy to make the decision about using the EdChoice Scholarship Program because we were very loyal to the public schools. However, now my son receives an excellent education and the discipline, respect, and encouragement that are instilled in him at home are being reinforced at school. My husband and I feel that the EdChoice was the best opportunity that the state has given children.”
– Renetta, mother of an EdChoice scholarship student
 
“In my daughter’s public school, she was doing advanced work but she was still bored to tears. She was slipping through the cracks. I was so happy when the principal at her new school called and told me about the Cleveland Scholarship. I enrolled her right away and now I see such a difference. She is taking Latin classes, playing the cello, and learning science – she loves it!”
– Seanette, mother of a Cleveland scholarship student
 
“I discovered the Autism Scholarship Program when my daughter was 13. She has come a long way from being extremely shy to very sociable. The focus at her new school is on her strengths instead of her deficits.”
– Toni, mother of an Autism scholarship student
 
“EdChoice has given me the opportunity to go to a private school with an excellent curriculum and great teachers. Thank you for helping me to reach my goals and obtain an excellent education.”
– Jordan, EdChoice scholarship student
 
“This new Special Needs Scholarship Program will open up doors for our children, let us make the school choices and reduce the anxieties we feel as parents to find the best school to address the special needs and learning styles of our children.”
– Fati, mother of two children with special needs
 
“I couldn’t afford private school tuition, so I am blessed to have this scholarship. The Cleveland Scholarship Program is a good program because it gives our kids an advantage. The scholarship gives him an advantage in his future – in school, college, and beyond.”
– Debra, mother of a Cleveland scholarship student
 
“EdChoice offers hope to families who aren’t able to afford a private school. Hope that anything is possible. It proves that you can reach for the stars for opportunity. It’s great that all children have the same opportunity no matter what the financial status.”
– Julie, mother of an EdChoice scholarship student
 
“For my children, having the ability to make this choice means a brighter future. I can’t possibly express how much this scholarship will change our lives and my children’s futures.”
– Angela, mother of two children with special needs

School Choice Across the Nation

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2011 was hailed by many, including the Wall Street Journal, as “The Year of School Choice.” That was certainly true in the Buckeye State as we saw the creation of a fourth scholarship program for Ohioans as well as expansions to the state’s current scholarship programs. These positive steps forward for school choice in Ohio echoed the success of the school choice movement nationwide. 

Our friends at the Alliance for School Choice released their 2011-2012 School Choice Yearbook today, and they reported that a record number of children enrolled in private school choice programs in 2011. In total, seven new scholarship programs were enacted and 11 programs were expanded. More than 120 pieces of private school choice legislation (not including companion legislation) were introduced.

Another great resource for national school choice information comes from our friends at The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Check out the 2012 ABCs of School Choice.

Some important national highlights from 2011 are below:

  • Arizona created the nation’s first Education Savings Accounts that will serve children with special needs. 
  • The Washington D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was reauthorized for five years, thanks in part to the great work of our National School Choice Week guest, Virginia Walden Ford.
  • Indiana created the Choice Scholarship Program, an income-based scholarship program that is the broadest voucher program in the nation. 
  • North Carolina created the Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities.
  • Wisconsin expanded the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the nation’s oldest voucher program.

Because of the great progress made across the nation in 2011, thousands of students will have the chance to find the school that best fits their needs. We are excited to see these opportunities for families expand in 2012.

Governor Kasich Designates School Choice Week

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Governor John Kasich issued a resolution designating Jan. 22 – 28 as School Choice Week in Ohio. Within the resolution, Gov. Kasich notes that by observing School Choice Week, Ohioans recognize that our state is in the forefront when it comes to giving all children access to a quality education.

This resolution coincides with National School Choice Week that will feature more than 340 events across the nation. In Ohio, there are many events taking place all over the state. Visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com/events to find a School Choice Week event near you.

How do you plan to celebrate School Choice Week?