If you or a member of your family participates in a K-12 school choice option in Ohio and has a story to tell about school choice, we want to hear your story. Eligible school choice programs include (charter) schools, private schools, Ohio scholarship programs, homeschool, district open enrollment, and independent STEM schools. Eligible participants are…
Is your family looking for a virtual school that is established, with experienced and trained licensed teachers? Ohio has several virtual community schools that are public, tuition-free schools. A list of virtual schools, both general education, and dropout recovery schools, are available here:
A number of parents have asked us if their district is spending their tax dollars to sue the state to take away school choice. Until now we did not have an answer to that question. School Choice Ohio made a public records request and received the list of districts that were members of the Equity…
As summer rolls on schools are turning their attention to the upcoming school year. Routing buses to help students get to school plays a big part in that preparation. Ohio law requires that school districts provide transportation for eligible students attending community (charter) schools and chartered nonpublic (private) schools to the same extent as district…
It is disappointing, but not surprising that the same organizations that institutionalize and reinforce lower achievement for students with special needs, low-income, and minority students want to protect their monopoly. Using public funds to try to limit school choice instead of working to improve students’ opportunities is despicable. Education choice programs like Ohio’s scholarship…
The staff at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd) recently released guidelines to help schools meet the needs of students with disabilities when remote learning is the norm. The report, Special Education and Distance Learning describes best practices that could pay large dividends for students with special needs. On April 27, 2020, U.S. Secretary of…
Greater Ohio Virtual School (GOVS) is an online community (charter) school serving primarily students who have dropped out of school or are at risk of doing so. Located in Warren County, GOVS serves students from across the state with the majority of students coming from southwestern Ohio. On Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020, the Greater Ohio…
During the widespread stay at home orders, many families got an up-close and personal look at expectations for their children’s learning. In an article in Forbes, Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, observes that the COVID-19 crisis may have added clarity to the debate about school choice. The most…
Even before the COVID-19 sent schools into wholesale remote learning, understanding how to utilize online resources to accomplish your school’s goals, was a high priority. Although shutdown orders related to the pandemic are easing, how schools instruct students and market their school are likely changed forever. Recently School Choice Ohio hosted a webinar designed to…
The sudden shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic raised challenges for some students. Still other students appear to do better online. An article in the NY Times suggests that going back to the classroom might not be the best option for some students. But one unexpected silver lining of the shutdown has…
Not sure where to start when talking to districts about equitable services? Unsure what consultation should take place? SCO has identified resources that can help. Under federal law, private schools are entitled to ‘equitable services’ from the school districts in which they are located for certain types of federal aid. Equitable services apply to important…
