There are more opportunities for pursuing an online high school education than ever, but not all online schools are created equal. School accreditation is a very important issue when you’re considering online options for your children, especially when your young learners are interested in applying to competitive universities and colleges.
Read more here.
The latest poll commissioned by American Federation for Children shows continued strong support for school choice.
The poll included an evaluation of support for education savings accounts, opportunity scholarships, and special needs scholarships as well.
AFC communication director Matt Frendewey says the results revealed strong support for educational options from 68 percent of 1,100 respondents.
More here.
As a parent and education advocate for the past 13 years, I have been honored to meet many amazing parents, education thought leaders and policymakers as I’ve traveled the country. It is a privilege to attend conferences that boast informed discussions and energize participants into action. But, as beneficial as such policy conferences can be, recently, I have been struck by the lack of parental and public involvement in critical discussions that directly affect our children’s education.
We are largely left out of the decision-making process or seen only as cheerleaders and rubber stamps to the policies created by bureaucrats. That’s one reason why education policies are lagging behind what voters really want to see. According to a national poll conducted by PublicSchoolOptions.org (PSO), this disconnect exists in three main areas: testing, school evaluation and school closure.
Keep reading here.
From the Lincoln Journal Start, Lincoln, Nebraska
Some organizations want to portray school choice as a movement “against public schools.” Personally, I’m very grateful for my own K-12 public education and the public educations of my children at district schools here in Lincoln, as well as district and charter schools in other states. The school choice movement is about embracing K-12 education in its many forms so that each and every child can access the educational resources that will help them to reach their goals ("Private, charter school advocates gather at Capitol," Jan. 27).
For most kids in Lincoln, public schools work very well and will continue to work well as more choices become available. Some kids need other options, however, and as we embrace and support those options, we’ll send the rising generation the message that their educations are so important that we put politics aside to ensure they get what they need. A child is not worth less to our community because he homeschools or attends a private or online school. They are as much a part of the public as a child who attends the neighborhood district elementary school.
If we truly value equal opportunity, don't children deserve our attention and support? Promoting school choice is simply supporting the individual educational goals of all of our community’s children. What could be more public-spirited than that?
Rachel Terry, Lincoln
California Connections Academy @ Ripon is a tuition free, virtual public school serving students in an eight county region including Sacramento County. While students are widely dispersed and complete course work online, they do get together regularly for field trips.
Amber Manko, School Counselor from Modesto said that she and other counselors and advisory teachers decided a good way to get students engaged in community service would be to schedule a service project. After researching, they agreed that the Sacramento Food Bank sounded like a good choice. “I’ve been pretty impressed with the organization and how it’s run,” Manko said. “I’m really just excited to be able to offer the opportunity for kids.”
Read more about this great effort here.
When Americans think of Wisconsin, a few things likely come to mind: beer, cheese, Harley-Davidson, the Green Bay Packers. And while Wisconsinites should be proud of all those things, over the past quarter-century school choice has been our most impactful innovation. First enacted in Milwaukee, school choice has grown from one program serving a few hundred students into a nationwide phenomenon.
This National School Choice Week, that’s something we should celebrate. Read more here.
National School Choice Week began Monday in Louisiana and across the country. It’s a reminder that parents and students in St. Mary have options other than traditional public schools.
Part of the mission of Central Catholic High School is to offer an alternative education admission to people in the Tri-City and surrounding areas.
This alternative is a religion-based education, which allows the school an opportunity to teach about God and infuse the Christian and Catholic values throughout the entire curriculum.
Read more here.
Although the number of students who take online or blended courses is elusive, the reasons they go the virtual route for their studies tend to fall into a few specific categories: academic, personal or health-related or because of other "life interests and circumstances." A new report issued by the Foundation for Blended and Online Learning suggested that these reasons haven't changed in the two decades since online options first surfaced. What has changed is the pace of growth among students choosing to attend blended and online schools and the number of such programs introduced or adopted by "traditional" districts.
Click here to read more.
When I was in second grade, my parents moved our family from Virginia to Connecticut because Dad took a job in New York City. They chose the town of Riverside to live in based largely on the quality of the public school system. We were lucky to be able to afford to live there. It had some of the best schools the country at the time, and probably still does. But the local public school didn’t work for me. Just didn’t click.
Continue reading Rob's story here.
This week is "School Choice Week." Many have asked me how area taxpayers have benefited from school choice - particularly the Milwaukee program.
The Milwaukee school choice program is a unique and innovative initiative to provide alternatives to the failing track record of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The program gives poor inner-city parents the opportunity to enroll in private schools that offer opportunities for success.
Moreover, the creation of the Milwaukee school choice program has had a positive financial impact on the residents of my senate district and across the state. While our students may not attend choice schools, our public schools benefit with more general aid because the program exists. In short, school choice saves property taxpayers money.
Read more here.