School choice - restoring parents' rights to choose the best school for their children - will put parents back in charge of education in South Carolina. Parents, not education bureaucrats, understand their children's needs best and have the right to select the best learning environment for their children. Visit www.scresponsiblegov.org for more information about school choice efforts in South Carolina.
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK:
How Do You Spell Education Relief?
October 21, 2005
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) drew a line in the sand days after President George W. Bush included funding for private schools in his $2 billion proposal to provide emergency aid for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. “This is not the time for a partisan political debate on vouchers," said Kennedy. Displaced families, he continued, “need real relief, not ideological battles.”
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/EdNotes11.cfm
SCHOOL CHOICE GROWING IN POPULARITY:
August 25, 2004
Even parents who are happy with their child's public school like options.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0033435.cfm
30 of the Nation’s Leading Academic Researchers Rally Behind Charter Schools
August 24, 2004
Motivated by last week’s widely reported analysis on charter schools, over 30 of the nation’s leading academic researchers came together this week to voice their concerns in a full-page advertisement in Section A of the New York Times. Researchers from premiere institutions such Harvard, Stanford and Duke were among the academics who outlined major problems with AFT's analysis of NAEP data. The group called for higher quality research before "jumping to conclusions about the merits of one of the nation's most prominent education reform strategies."
Center for Education Reform: CHARTER SCHOOLS PRODUCE STRONG STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Charter Schools Produce Strong Student Achievement ... NAEP Data ... State Data ... National Data ... Facts About Charter Schools - Newswire - August 17, 2004
SCHOOL CHOICE IMPROVES PUBLIC EDUCATION
A recently released report by Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby shows that Milwaukee's school choice program has produced sustainable results and forced public schools to improve. Hoxby added test score data from two additional years (2000-2001 & 2001-2002 school years) and found that gains made in the first three years of the program (beginning with 1997-1998) were sustained. She also found that school choice had forced schools to compete and caused their scores to rise over the years as well. Click here to view the report.
A Vibrant Part of the Public School System
by Jay Matthews - Washington Post
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Fourth grader Shaphine Selph and second graders Jazmyn Bell-Jackson, Anthony Hinton Jr., Rashawna McIlwain and Isiah Perrin could not have been more excited March 23 at the chance to play their violins in a public school competition in Buffalo, N.Y. They had been practicing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" for months at the King Center Charter School, and had worked out all the positions with their small fingers. Even their bowing was getting better. (more)
Gov. Sanford Endorses Charter School Reform Bill
(Columbia, S.C. – April 1, 2004)
GOVERNOR PRAISES LEGISLATORS FOR MOVING FORWARD ON SCHOOL CHOICE “A major part of our campaign platform on education was to empower local communities that want to make a difference by taking a more active role in their children’s lives,” Gov. Sanford said. “That’s ultimately what charter schools are all about – parents taking responsibility and working to create a better educational environment for their kids. (more)
South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools - supporting a child’s right to quality education through choice and accountability
School Choice Improves Public Schools
School choice can be an impetus for positive change within a public school district. A growing body of research indicates that public schools respond favorably to competition—and the more options students have, the better public schools rise to the challenge of keeping and attracting students. (more)
School Choice in 2003: An Old Concept Gains New Life by Krista Kafer
March 19, 2004 (Legal Memorandum #9)
No one school can serve all students equally well. Ultimately, school choice is about enabling all parents to enroll their children in the public, public ...
