States Celebrating School Choice Week
article by Nancy Swanson | January 25, 2012
At a time when we constantly hear about politicians fighting over what to do about education reform, they have finally come to a small agreement about one thing: Celebrating school choice. A number of states throughout the country have declared the week of January 22nd to January 28th National School Choice Week.
The governors of nearly 25 states have announced this week as School Choice Week in their states, and several big-city mayors and state legislatures have issued pledges promoting the efforts of school choice.
The celebration has support from several Democrats and Republics, as well as a number of celebrities and well-known business people throughout the U.S. The second annual event was chosen to be kicked off at the Lakefront Arena at the University of New Orleans this year because of New Orleans's popular movement to school choice within the recent months. The celebration included several musical entertainment guests, as well as some remarks by leading strategists and public officials.
Over the next week there will be nearly 400 different events organized by a number of diverse and nonpartisan coalition of individuals and organizations in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. This week is expected to be the largest education reform celebration in American history, with over tens of thousands of Americans expected to participate.
The mission of this week is part of an effort to let parents know what options they have for their children's education. Many people do not realize that there are a variety of options to fit their child's needs. Some of the options include charter, public and private schools, along with vouchers, tax credits, homeschooling and online learning.
National School Choice Week began last year after having the Wall Street Journal declared 2011 as the year of school choice. In fact, over 500 new charter schools opened their doors all across the country last year. Also, over half of the 50 states discussed at least one form of school choice legislation. Thirteen of those states ended up creating or enhancing the different options student had for educational opportunities.
Heritage education expert Lindsey Burke explains that last year, "more families than ever before gained access to school choice options, freeing them from assignment-by-zip code policies that often relegate families to the public school closest to their home, regardless of whether it meet their child's needs."
For more information, or to find an event in your area, visit www.SchoolChoiceWeek.com
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