Is Your Child in the Right School?
by Amy Payne, Heritage Foundation, January 27, 2014
South Carolina mom Lisa Stevens wasn’t satisfied with her child’s school. Then she heard about charter schools and discovered she could get a group of people together and start one.
Nathan, a second-grader in Arizona with a learning disability, is thriving in a small class with teachers who are able to give him the attention he needs. His parents discovered they could choose the right program for Nathan because Arizona has Education Savings Accounts.
School choice doesn’t look the same for everyone—because learning doesn’t look the same for everyone. This week, kids and parents who have found the right combinations are celebrating National School Choice Week—and it’s the perfect time for you to learn more about your family’s options.
The old way of doing K-12 education—every child put into the same public system—hasn’t worked out. But school choice has returned control of education to the local units where it belongs: the family and the individual school. School choice has proven to produce better academic outcomes, significantly increased graduation rates, improved student safety, and higher parental satisfaction with their children’s education.
This week, we’ll be highlighting school choice success stories on The Foundry. Here are some of the ways students and parents are achieving success:
Charter schools. Watch our video to hear Lisa’s story of starting a charter school.
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Check out this slideshow of families who are customizing their children’s learning thanks to Arizona’s ESAs.
Vouchers. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which gives students from low-income families vouchers to attend private schools in the nation’s capital. These students are seeing success like never before thanks to this program.
Online learning. Students can access educational opportunities that aren’t available in their geographic areas, thanks to all the online innovation taking place.
Homeschooling. Parents and students have freedom and flexibility to pursue the type of education they want for their families. School choice is working—but it’s up to all of us to make sure government doesn’t stand in the way of these exciting developments. Visit The Foundry each day this week to learn more.
There may be a School Choice Week event going on in your area. Check out the website.
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