School Choice Ohio Blog

Family experiences are at the heart of school choice. Our blog will periodically spotlight stories from Ohio families who experience school choice programs firsthand.

Shari Perkins’ son Randell faced some challenges in reading and comprehension early in elementary school, but his needs were not reliably or consistently met. Shari relates, “Randell was not encouraged to perform at the level I knew he was capable of. Our family always encourages our kids to be the best they can be, but that message was not conveyed in the classroom.”

Shari first heard about the EdChoice scholarship program from another parent whose children went to the same elementary school the previous year. She immediately applied. “During the interview process, Randell met with the principal, and it was like a breath of fresh air!! He explained that while the curriculum would be a little tougher, he knew that Randell could perform at that level and that he had every confidence that Randell would be a successful student.”

Randell was admitted to the private school and received the EdChoice Scholarship. “What a difference that made in Randell’s life. Randell could see that other people believed in him. His confidence and grades shot through the roof! Since he has been at his current school, he has been on Honor Roll every grading period.”

Shari continues: “We have another son, Nehemiah, who will be attending the same school through the EdChoice program. We are thankful that we have a choice in where our children are educated, where they can reach their full potential, and where they are encouraged to do their best. Thank you EdChoice for making such an important and powerful impact on our family. We love EdChoice!”

Shari is indebted to that parent who first told her about the opportunities and possibilities for Randell through EdChoice. And now she gives back in the same way. “I became a school choice ambassador so I could ‘get the word out’ about this wonderful program. Many parents (as I did) think funding for the program is ‘just there.’ Many don’t realize that … there needs to be a voice from the participants in the program to keep EdChoice in the forefront of our political leaders’ minds.”

Shari is right. The scholarship program is at maximum capacity this year. Unless people speak out and legislators respond by lifting the EdChoice cap, it’s likely that thousands of student applicants will be turned away next year. Visit our website to see how you can begin to make a difference for students across Ohio.

Family experiences are at the heart of school choice. Our blog will periodically spotlight stories from Ohio families who experience school choice programs firsthand.

Leslee Jones is a mom in Toledo. Her son has special needs, and the EdChoice scholarship has been able to provide him the education which helps him to succeed.

Leslee’s son “struggled in public school, even in special education classes, because the teacher could not give him the attention he needed.” She knew that this was not acceptable, but felt that she had no other option. “I had received calls from representatives from School Choice Ohio several times about the EdChoice scholarship program, but I didn’t think I could use the program because private schools did not offer special education programs.”

Leslee noticed a newspaper report on local schools and discovered that a local private school offered special education classes. “Later that week I received paperwork in the mail regarding the EdChoice scholarship program, which I had forgotten I had even requested. I read through the paperwork, and this same school was listed as a private option which accepts the EdChoice scholarship program.”

After meeting with the principal and special education teacher, Leslee and her husband knew that this was truly the best fit for their son. Since enrolling, her son’s special education teacher “has been able to work with our son on an individual basis and in small group settings, which has helped him tremendously. His education has blossomed.”

“I was so excited about the decision I made in applying for the EdChoice scholarship that I told my sister-in-law and three of my friends about the program. They all signed up for the EdChoice scholarship program, and their children now attend private schools thanks to this program!”

Family experiences are at the heart of school choice. Our blog periodically spotlights stories from Ohio families who experience school choice programs firsthand.

When her mother passed away in 2003, Tanisha Frazier became concerned about her little sister’s education. Tanisha knew that Natasha would face a rough up-hill climb. “It was hard losing our mother. I knew that school would become a struggle for Natasha because our mother wasn’t there to give her that support that was needed.”

Tanisha resolved to be that extra support at home that Natasha needed. She stayed in constant communication with her sister’s teachers and principals, and attended all parent teacher conferences. But something was not quite right with Natasha’s performance.

“The teachers would assure me that Natasha had great potential and was doing a great job. She tested into advanced courses at school. Then grade cards would reflect that she was failing. The grades were showing one thing, but the teachers were saying another.”

Tanisha will never forget an incident from Natasha’s 7^th grade year. “I called her math teacher to arrange after school tutoring for Natasha. I never heard back from her. I sent a note in with Natasha for her math teacher to contact me. The teacher wrote back promising to call me in order to address all my concerns regarding Natasha’s grades. But I never heard back. Natasha received a ‘D’ that grading period. If the teacher would have provided tutoring, that could have been prevented.”

Tanisha began to look into private school options for her sister. “I saw the potential in Natasha, but she was going to a school that didn’t care.” Unfortunately, tuition costs were too expensive. Tanisha felt trapped, but her older sister told her about the EdChoice scholarship. “I kept asking her what the catch was. When do we pay the money back?”

Tanisha took her sister to meet with the principal of a local private school, who told her, “I can see that you’re better than that, Natasha. I want you in this school because I know you can change this school for the better.” He was right. “Natasha has done a complete 180-degree turn. She has been on the honor roll every single grading period.”

Through EdChoice, Tanisha is now grateful for Natasha’s quality schooling and pleased with the teachers’ support. “I have the teachers’ contact information, and when I have questions regarding Natasha, they get back with me the same day. I hear from them at least once a week to advise me on her progress.”

“EdChoice has changed our lives, and opened doors for my sister. She wants to become the first female president! I don’t think she would have believed in herself without people at home and school supporting her dreams. I want to thank you, EdChoice, from the bottom of my heart.”

Great blog post this weekend over at State of Ohio Education, the blog established by current and former state board of education members Susan Haverkos and Colleen Grady on why the cap on the number of EdChoice Scholarships could leave some families out in the cold.

“The funding level could create a large gap between supply and demand. If the EdChoice voucher program is oversubscribed, vouchers will be distributed through a lottery.”

Read the whole post here.

The lottery scenario is becoming more and more of a possibility as the number of students using EdChoice approaches the 14,000 maximum. This year, 88,000 students are eligible for 2,000-3,000 remaining seats. Typically, well over 4,000 students apply for a scholarship.

Ergo, this cap is likely to prevent thousands of families who lose the lottery from moving their kids from low-rated public schools to the private schools of their choice.

With all that’s at stake for each child, can we can afford to leave these kids’ future to chance?

- Sarah Pechan

Two lists emerged this week regarding school building achievement and the education that our children receive. The timing of the release of each list for this week was probably a fluke or an ironic twist of fate.

The first inauspicious list was released by the Ohio Department of Education. This release listed the 207 failing public school buildings that have been in academic watch or academic emergency for two of the past three years leaving 88,000 students eligible to apply in February for the EdChoice Scholarship and to enroll in private schools.  This is an increase from the 199 schools that received a similar designation last year.

In direct contrast to the first release, the U.S. Department of Education released a list of schools designated as Blue Ribbon Schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement for disadvantaged students. Ohio has 19 schools this year that have received this distinguished honor.

Last year, 12 Ohio schools were dubbed Blue Ribbon Schools.

Furthermore, the Blue Ribbon Schools Program does more than just list the names of high achieving schools.  The program also attempts to distribute information about how these schools, both public and private, manage to become marks of excellence and offers a collection of best practices for other schools and state education agencies to use.  This program has existed since 1982 and despite its existence the number of poor schools has exponentially increased instead of decreased. What does this mean?

Instead of using what works, there seems to be a tendency for low-performing schools to either (1) ignore that information, (2) dissect the information into something unrecognizable and then implement parts and pieces that are unusable unless related to the whole, (3) keep doing what has been done in the past hoping for change, and (4) throw away all that is old for the new, which only serves to further destabilize an unstable system.

On one of my living room walls there are three pictures of nursery rhymes:  Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, and Humpty Dumpty.  In all these stories there is the image of someone falling and/or failing.  Perhaps ironically too, there is only one letter difference between the words falling and failing.  Our public educational system manages effortlessly to do both.

Two lists emerged this week that are seemingly diametrically opposed when in actuality they should work hand in hand.  The question is, will the 207 failing schools look to the blue ribbon schools for viable education solutions to turn their schools around or will they continue to be like the kings men in Humpty Dumpty and fail to fix that which is broken?

Tisha Brady

The new EdChoice eligible student list was released by ODE today (see here). 88,000 students in 207 low-rated public schools are now eligible to apply for an EdChoice Scholarship.

At the SCO office, several families have been calling our office weekly for the last month, eagerly anticipating the news about whether their children might be eligible for the private school scholarship.

These Ohio families feel their children are being left behind and are thrilled for this new opportunity. We wish no children were in low-rated schools, but until that day, EdChoice continues as a desperately-needed lifeline.

- Sarah Pechan

Nearly 2 million students across Ohio have headed back to school. Around 20,000 of these precious little Buckeyes are attending local private schools thanks to tax-funded scholarships they receive from the state of Ohio.

Families always tell us how excited they are to choose where their children go to school, rather than relying on default options.

“I feel like I’ve won the lottery!”

- Rose, grandmother from Lorain

“EdChoice has empowered me to sustain that my children will have a strong foundation on which to build their lives. It has opened a door of opportunity for a community of children whose parents may not be as successful as they want to be, but they work hard everyday trying to get there!”

- Angelnique, parent from Dayton

Maddeningly, some parents who applied for an EdChoice Scholarship and enrolled their children in private school didn’t find out if they actually received their scholarship until school was back in session.

Imagine applying for a scholarship back in April and not knowing until the first day of school if your application was successful. Parents are usually notified in July (which is late enough). How can parents plan for back-to-school – transportation arrangements, preparation, soccer practice, and school uniforms – when they still don’t know if the scholarship came through to cover the tuition payments?

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has done a great job from day one ensuring that the EdChoice application process is short, simple, and hassle free. They receive high marks both from parents and private school on their unusually-responsive communication and professionalism. This year, however, with all the state budget confusion, the scholarship notification process clearly slipped down the list of priorities.

More than 13,000 students applied for EdChoice back in April – how many of these families were willing to hold out hope this long? And how many simply assumed they weren’t awarded the scholarship and returned to public school? We won’t know the effect of this delay until later this year, but it clearly may have been a tremendous deterrent.

The scholarship process needs to be family-friendly. Still, thousands of new families sign up every year. With rave reviews from parents, ODE, state legislators, parents, school leaders, and community leaders who promote and run Ohio’s scholarship programs can know their impact will last a lifetime.

- Sarah Pechan

Today is report card day for Ohio’s schools. Each charter school and traditional public school received a state rating – an A-F grade– based on student test scores and other factors.

What’s new this year? For the first time, schools could be dinged for their value-added results. Schools whose students did not learn an average year’s worth of material can see their ratings lowered. We commend the state of Ohio for highlighting the impact of individual schools on moving students toward proficiency.

This year, 443 schools earned a “D” or “F” grade, 21 fewer than last year. An improvement – yes. But, still too few students in these schools are acquiring the skills they need for future success.

This is one reason school choice is so important. Families of kids in schools where excellence is not yet widespread need other options.

The EdChoice Scholarship will allow some of these students to attend a private school next year. Because eligibility for the EdChoice Scholarship is based on these state ratings, the eligible population changes every year. Last year, the lowest 5% of schools were designated as under-performing and students in these 199 schools in 27 districts were eligible for a private school scholarship option.

This year’s EdChoice public school list will be released by the ODE early next month. How will this year’s changes to the rating system affect eligibility? A lot of parents are eager to see how this will shake out for their kids.

- Sarah Pechan

In the wake of a difficult state budget, EdChoice students, parents, and schools have taken a direct hit.

In a blow to hardworking Ohio parents, Governor Strickland reduced scholarship amounts for the popular scholarship program.  Scholarships have been reduced from $4500 to $4250 for K-8 and from $5300 to $5000 for 9-12.

Unfortunately, this change was unnecessary.  The House and Senate had already made a compromise on funding the vouchers by taking out the automatic increase for changes in the cost of education that the scholarship had included.

Thus, the scholarship was both cut by 6% (back to 2006 funding levels) and given no ability to adjust upward in the future.  This is more than everyone sharing in what was a painful budget process for many, as public schools were only cut by 1% (before taking into account federal stimulus dollars). This is a weakening of a parental option for parents whose children had been assigned to attend Ohio’s lowest performing public schools. Why?

The veto message from the governor stated, “This provision would increase the maximum award for the Educational Choice scholarship program.  In a time of limited resources and shared sacrifice across state government, it is not in the public interest to increase these scholarships.”

First, the vetoed language would not have been an increase in the scholarship amount—students this year received scholarships with a maximum value of $4500 and $5300 depending upon grade level. This represents a decrease in funding. Second, during this time of shared sacrifice, education was not supposed to be on the list of cuts.

These cuts when coupled with the reductions in state aid to Ohio’s parochial and other nonpublic schools might force schools to increase tuition to make up for the lost revenue. 

During these trying economic times, these parents have already and are continuing to sacrifice for their families. It is now more important than ever that we do not take from parents quality educational choices for their children.

We all want our children to have a quality education.  This means improving all schools to fit the needs of the child.  It is imperative for us all to work together.   If we fail to strip away the dogma that surrounds education and treats public education as the only available source of education, then we have not embraced the change that President Obama has called for.

As the governor seeks to turn around Ohio through the promotion of education as the main thruster of economic resource, this action is truly a curious way to make education a top priority and show a commitment to all Ohio students.

– Tisha Brady