Making Headlines
As Congress debates whether to continue the very successful DC Opportunity Scholarship program that is offering nearly 2,000 students in the District the chance at a better education (and has a waiting list of another 7,000 students), others are considering the impact that will have for other school choice programs around the country, including our efforts here in Virginia.
DC Examiner reporter Leah Fabel takes a look at this issue in today’s article, Voucher advocates hope national effort isn’t stymied:
Advocates for private school vouchers outside Washington hope that the likely demise of D.C.’s program won’t kill efforts nationwide.
“My first hope is the program doesn’t end in D.C.,” said Howard Fuller, the former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools who helped craft the district’s nearly 20-year-old voucher program. “My second hope is if it does, it won’t impact programs in other parts of the country.”
Across the nation, proponents are closely watching measures in Congress that require reauthorization of D.C.’s federally funded vouchers used by 1,700 mostly low-income students. The likely requirement signals a death knell to the program, as a Democratic Congress is unlikely to support the traditionally Republican idea.
Read the rest of the article here.
We hope Congressional leaders will do the right thing, and continue to fund the Opportunity Scholarship program so that students in our nation’s Capital will be able to have access to the educational opportunities that they desperately need.
“Mo’ Reform”
We would like to thank Jim Bacon for the kind introduction and welcome over at his blog, Bacon’s Rebellion. Jim is a very insightful commentator on the world of Virginia politics and policy, and we appreciate his thoughts on the Virginia educational system and the need for reforms.
Despite these obstacles, some public school systems manage to accomplish remarkable things. I’m impressed by the quality of the education provided by Henrico County schools, for instance, on a shoestring — with significantly less spending per pupil than the neighboring City of Richmond. While students in suburban school districts fare reasonably well, students in municipalities like Richmond and Petersburg are terribly short-changed. Worse, they have no option — other than moving into neighboring jurisdictions, which many cannot afford — to improve their lot.
That’s why I’m delighted to note the appearance of a new group on the scene, School Choice Virginia, a non-partisan not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding “educational choices for Virginia families.”
He goes on to challenge us here at School Choice Virginia, as well as the politicians in Richmond, to change the debate and change the system for Virginia’s students.
The unwillingness to explore alternatives to the bureaucratic — nay, sclerotic — public education system we have in Virginia is, to my mind, one of the greatest indictments that can be leveled against Virginia’s political class. Let us hope that this new group can re-frame the educational debate from “mo’ money” to “mo’ reform.”
Jim, thanks for the welcome, and we accept your challenge!
Nothing to fear
Last week, Del. Chris Saxman, shared his thoughts on the need for greater educational choice in Virginia and why we have launched School Choice Virginia in a guest column to the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Today’s letters to the editor pages included the following response:
Where It’s Tried, Choice Proves Popular
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Thank you for running Del. Chris Saxman’s guest column detailing his reasons for launching School Choice Virginia ["Each Student Deserves the Best Opportunities"].
People in other states have already discovered they have nothing to fear — and much to gain — from letting education dollars follow each child to the school of their parents’ choice, providing an environment that better suits each child’s individual needs, a sense of empowerment, and greater parental involvement.
No city or state in which a school voucher or tax-credit program has gotten off the ground has seen it repealed by voters, and studies show parents who have the opportunity to use them are far more satisfied with their choices than what the government was forcing on them before.
Virginia has already tasted this type of success with Tution Assistance Grants for higher education. The only groups with something to fear from passing those benefits on to the K-12 set are those who place greater importance on protecting their own power over the well-being of children.
Karla Dial, Managing Editor,
School Reform News. Colorado Springs, CO.
All about options
One common misconception when people mention “school choice” is that it means only public or private schools. As we have mentioned before, we believe in educational choices- providing families as many different affordable options as possible for educating their children.
One area in education that is growing here in Virginia- and nationally- is home schooling. The News Virginian looks at home schooling in their article, “Old School Alternative.”
“About 2 million students nationwide are homeschooled, according to the National Home Education Research Institute based in Salem, Ore.
More than 400 students in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta and Nelson counties and more than 20,000 statewide were homeschooled in 2006-07, the latest school year for which state statistics were available. Five years earlier, there were 338 area homeschoolers and 16,542 statewide.”
Delegate Saxman, Chairman of School Choice Virginia, was interviewed for the article:
“It’s not us versus them,” said Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton, a former schoolteacher and a staunch school choice advocate. “It’s simply what do you like best? Are you a Coke or Pepsi fan? Are you a Virginia Tech or U.Va. fan? Certain things click better with kids; some kids are better tuned to certain environments, some do better in a classroom and some do not. So we’re just trying to figure out as many options as possible so that families can find what works for them.”
More information on home schooling:
PERFORMANCE: Homeschool students score 15 to 30 percentile points higher than public school students on standardized tests.
MINORITIES: Homeschooling is growing in popularity among minorities, who make up about 15 percent of the roughly 2 million homeschool students nationwide.
SOURCE: NATIONAL HOME EDUCATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Thanks for the welcome!
We’d like to thank the Family Foundation for their recent blog post welcoming School Choice Virginia to the blogosphere, as well as their continued dedication to the issue of educational choice.
They write:
“Education is important because it affects all citizens. When people fail in life or do not make use of their full potential because of the lack of a quality education, it often manifests itself in crime, poverty and broken families, among other social ills that burden the public at large. The sooner we can create freedom in public education in Virginia, the sooner public education will improve — as will the quality of life for all Virginians.”
The Family Foundation has been an important ally in efforts to bring meaningful reform to Virginia. We appreciate all of their hard work on this issue and look forward to continuing to work together to make educational choice a reality for all Virginia families.
Virginia parents speak up on the need for education reform
Sherri Fosdick of Staunton responds to the Staunton News Leader’s opposition to any efforts to increase affordable and available educational choices for Virginia families. She writes about the need for greater discussion on the issue for education reform, rather than simply sitting back and supporting the status quo.
Sherri writes:
“The fact is, while there are pockets of excellence in public education, we have a deeply flawed system. However, your editorial suggests that we shouldn’t think too hard about ways to address those flaws. Sadly, your editorial is little more than a testament to the triumph of government-run schooling.
I encourage you to open up debate about education rather than shutting it down. Your readers and school choice advocates like Del. Chris Saxman deserve that much. Education reform is desperately needed in the U.S., but if we follow your advice and blindly support the entrenched system that reform will never see the light of day.”
You can read the rest of Sherri’s Letter to the Editor here.
A Parent’s Plea
Lydia Glaize, a mother in Georgia, tells of her own family’s struggle to provide a better education for their children. It is the story of far too many families across the country, and far too many families here in Virginia, who are asking for an opportunity for their kids now- not in 20 years.
“With its low test scores and dangerous incidents on campus, we have been hoping and praying for a miracle to find the money to return them to private school. Over the years, we have depleted our savings, our retirement funds, used our home equity, taken extra jobs and received gifts to send our four older children to private school to escape failing public schools.
But as our two youngest enter ninth grade, we have hit the end of our financial road.
To read the resistance to school vouchers editorialized at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution makes us want to ask opponents if they would like to spend a day in our family’s shoes.”
She continues:
“The tide has turned, and all demographic groups see the injustice in punishing kids like mine and making them attend a school that slams the door on their future. African-Americans, whites, Hispanics, Democrats, Republicans and Independents each strongly support vouchers for kids in failing schools and for all families wanting true school choice. After decades of watching educators and politicians make excuses why they can’t provide a better education in certain neighborhoods, the public is demanding that elected officials do things differently in order to bring about a different result.
A scholarship would give my children options immediately, not in 20 years, after another education-reform program may or may not work. It could either pay all or most of private school tuition. Since virtually every private school has sliding scale fees based on family income, scholarships could help all families, rich or poor. Parents don’t expect a handout, just an opportunity to choose the best educational vehicle available for their children.”
Pretty powerful stuff. Read Lydia’s full article here.
On our launch
The Maine Heritage Policy Center noted our launch of School Choice Virginia with this blog post.
The launching of the advocacy group won praise from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which today published a column from Saxman arguing in favor of school choice. Predictably, the teacher’s union in Virginia responded with a call to oppose choice, which tells you all you need to know about how interested the entrenched powers are in maintaining the status quo.
D.C. Mother, Parent Activist Honored with National Award for Education Reform
WASHINGTON, Aug 11, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Washington, D.C. parent and activist Virginia Walden Ford has been honored with the John T. Walton Champions for School Choice Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the national nonprofit Alliance for School Choice.
The award recognizes Ms. Walden Ford’s contributions to education reform in the District.
As a single mother, Virginia Walden Ford took up the cause of school choice after her son received a private scholarship to escape a failing D.C. school. Since then, she has worked to mobilize thousands of District parents in support of school choice, culminating in the successful passage of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program by the U.S. Congress in 2004. She is also the author of the book Voices, Choices, and Second Chances.
As president of the D.C. Black Alliance for Educational Options (DCBAEO) and executive director of D.C. Parents for School Choice, Ms. Walden Ford–along with her sister and advocacy partner Harrietta Fowler–was instrumental this year in mobilizing parents in support of renewed Congressional funding of the program through the 2009-2010 school year.
Read the rest of the article here.
Catholic Schools Saving NY Billions
New York is one of many states facing budget crunches. As their legislature reconvenes to try and address their budget shortfall, many are voicing support for greater school choice by pointing out how much private and religious school already save the state.
“Catholics statewide and the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops in matters of public policy, argue that New York’s 500,000 independent- and religious-school students save state taxpayers $7.5 billion every year. That figure is derived from the average $15,000 per year it costs to educate one student in the state’s public schools, according to Catholic conference data.”
In Virginia, it is estimated that approximately 125,000 K-12 students are not enrolled in public schools- creating a cost-savings of approximately $1.3 billion!
