Save School Choice!
Support the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program
Capitol Rally
September 30, 2009
Sponsored by the DC Black Alliance for
Educational Options
Join us as we raise our voices to help all District children get a quality education and ensure that all options are available to low-income District families. A bipartisan team of local leaders, community activists, and policymakers are fighting to Put Kids First. All of our voices must be heard! Together, we can help thousands of low-income District families.
WHEN: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
11:30 AM — 1:00 PM
WHERE: U.S. Capitol, Upper Senate Park
(Constitution Ave NW &
New Jersey Ave NW)
METRO: Union Station or Capitol South
www.SaveSchoolChoice.com
Participants will receive free t-shirts.
Red-herring shell games?
Yesterday we shared with you the first part in our examination of some of the arguments made by opponents of school choice. In the recent article, “A parent’s right to choose,” we saw several arguments made opposing choice, so today we wanted to take a look at another of these false claims.
“It’s all a red-herring shell game… The people who are pushing choice are the ones who want to be able to send their kids to schools where they have some control over who their kids get to play with, what kind of community the kids are associating with, and they apparently want to turn their backs on their own community school instead of doing the hard work of making sure that the schools that their kids are zoned to go to have the resources and high-quality teachers and kind of administrative support that they deserve to have.
As we did yesterday, we agree – in part. Most people pushing school choice DO want to be able to decide where to send their kids to school and have some control over the kind of community where their kids are being educated rather than having that decision dictated to them by government bureaucrats. And why shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t parents be able to decide if they want their kids in safe schools so they can learn without fear of violence? Shouldn’t parents be able to choose a school where their child isn’t bullied or threatened? Shouldn’t parents be able to choose a learning environment where other students share a passion for learning? It doesn’t seem like that radical a notion to us.
Perhaps some folks are not aware of some of the problems that exist in many schools in Virginia- problems that aren’t so simple that they can just be fixed with more money. Perhaps she is unaware of a growing gang problem in many public schools- even in some elementary schools.
And yet there seems to be a disdain for parents who would want to be a bit more cautious in the “community the kids are associating with.”
This is not about people turning their backs on their own community school – this is about kids and education. As we noted yesterday, there seems to be some distractaction going on from the real issues by focusing simply on schools, rather than the real goal: education.
Parents should not be criticized or faulted for wanting better for their children, for wanting to put them in an education environment where they can thrive, for wanting them to be safe when they leave home every day. It is a shame that some folks would attack those parents for wanting better for their kids.
As in the arguments we examined yesterday, they always seem to manage to bring things back around to their excuse about needing more “resources,” or more accurately, “money.” But as we pointed out yesterday, more money is not always the answer.
Kevin Chavous, a former member of the Washington, D.C., City Council who now heads up the group Democrats for Education Reform and serves on the Board for the Black Alliance for Educational Options points out, again, that the focus here should be education.
“It’s not the money. It’s what you do with the money,” Chavous said. “Funding and fueling a bureaucracy does not ensure that children are going to be educated. And that’s the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal isn’t so many dollars for public education. The ultimate goal is educating children.”
And he’s exactly right. The ultimate goal in any discussion of education reform should be educating the children. We think the only “red-herring shell game” being played here is by the opponents of choice, and their attempts to prevent real efforts for meaningful education reform and more parental choice in education.
“Choice in education is the key”
The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) has this editorial from Florida up on their website today.
The editorial, “Choice in education is the key,” concludes:
Students perform best when they and their parents are able to select the schools they will attend. They may be traditional public schools for most, charter schools for some and private or homeschools for others.
The growth in the number of legitimate options in education is encouraging and should be promoted both locally and nationwide.
We agree, and hope that Virginia legislators will work to encourage more options in education for students here in the Commonwealth.
Gerard Robinson, “A Brighter Course for Our Children”
Gerard Robinson, President of the Black Alliance for Education Options, today has a wonderful op-ed in the Richmond Times Dispatch. Mr. Robinson urges Virginia lawmakers to expand educational options for parents by embracing all aspects of school choice.
The 2009 Virginia General Assembly session provides lawmakers with a fresh opportunity to create laws that will chart a brighter course for the commonwealth.
As Virginia lawmakers ponder how best to strengthen its economy, continual improvement of the existing public school system must remain a top priority.
Equally important is an expansion of parental options through public charter schools and private schools for Virginia families and children. In the recent 2008 presidential election, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama acknowledged his support for public charter schools. Why? Because he believes accountability in the public school sector works. And this month President Obama acknowledged his support for private school options by enrolling his two daughters in an elite Washington, D.C., school. Why? Because he and Michelle Obama want the best education for their children — as do millions of Virginia families.
Results from a 2,200-person telephone survey conducted in Petersburg, Richmond, and Norfolk by the Virginia-based Thomas Jefferson Institute and the Washington, D.C.-based Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) demonstrate that black families in Virginia also support parental options for their children — both in the public and private school sector.
For example, 76 percent of respondents indicated that they support school choice. When asked to identify a preference for the type of option they prefer, 89 percent support publicly funded scholarships for students with disabilities, 70 percent support public charter schools, 68 percent support personal income tax credits, and 65 percent support business income tax credits.
None of these represents entirely new ideas. In fact, each parental-choice option is operating in several states. For private-school based options, lawmakers have enacted scholarship tax credit programs in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Arizona, Utah, Ohio, Georgia, and Florida offer special needs scholarships. These programs educated more than 100,000 students in 2007-08.
EVEN MORE dramatically, nearly 1.2 million students attend public charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Given the interest expressed by black parents in three major Virginia cities, most of whom voted for President Obama, shouldn’t lawmakers give some consideration to public and private school options?
Continue reading the rest of Mr. Robinson’s op-ed.
“School choice is widespread in America – unless you are poor.”
The Black Alliance for Educational Options- which we mentioned last week had worked with the Thomas Jefferson Institute to survey voters in Virginia on their positions on school choice- has been a strong advocate for school choice on the nationl level.
From the BAEO website:
School choice is widespread in America – unless you are poor.
Affluent families have choice because they can move to different neighborhoods or communities, send their children to private schools or supplement schooling with tutors and enrichment programs. Lower-income and working-class families, meanwhile, are typically trapped with one option – a school in need of improvement.
BAEO is committed to expanding the Educational Options available to all families, regardless of income, but our focus is on helping low-income and working-class black families.
BAEO’s website provides great information on school choice options, with resources for parents and elected officials.
Headlines- Petersburg
As we noted yesterday, the Thomas Jefferson Institute and the Black Alliance for Educational Options recently announced the results of their survey on school choice in several Virginia localities.
One of those localities was the City of Petersburg. The Petersburg Progress-Index reported on the survey earlier this week: “Survey shows frustration with schools, choices.”
It’s no secret that many parents in Petersburg are frustrated with the school system. A recent survey completed by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and the Black Alliance for Educational Options shows just how frustrated — and that the desire for options is strong.
“They’re really interested in seeing choices,” said Gerard Robinson, BAEO president.
Chris Braunlich, vice president of the Jefferson Institute, said that the findings contrast with the perception of many that most African-Americans don’t support charter schools or school choice.
“The results indicate that people are interested in seeing options, whether it’s scholarships to attend other schools or charter schools,” Braunlich said.
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.
