January 2014

What's New with PublicSchoolOptions.org

Like presidents of years past, school choice advocates embark on a whistle stop tour in January. The tour, which marks National School Choice Week (NSCW) 2014, will span 14 cities and 3,800 miles while conveying a single message: America's students need educational options. PublicSchoolOptions.org is proud to be a NSCW partner of this fourth annual NSCW celebration that encompasses 5,000 events across the country. From Newark, NJ to Columbia, SC, to the national kickoff event in Houston, TX, PublicSchooOptions.org board members, state leaders, and enthusiastic members across the country will be there speaking and rallying for school options. As we gear up for this exciting celebration, NSCW President Andrew Campanella has provided a guest blog to tell our PublicSchoolOptions.org community about the important role you play in the fight to expand school options. He also announces a special program for PublicSchoolOptions.org families that want to get involved from home. This is just the beginning so be sure to visit our blog and follow our announcements on Facebook as NSCW 2014 gets underway!

Table of Contents
What's New with PublicSchoolOptions.org Profile Coalition Shout-Out Cheers for Champions

In The Spotlight
Partners and Allies Citing the fact that 74% of

Profile
New Board Director Lauren Marshall opens up about fighting and winning for her son's education

Americans favor school choice, the Center for Education Reform commemorates 20 years with a new video iNACOL's president considers accountability and student-centered learning

Coalition Shout-Out
South Carolina parents hone their advocacy skills Nevada Virtual Academy works for students with unique circumstances Online learning offers a fresh start for Wisconsin student A thankful Georgia parent praises virtual public school

Getting Smart weighs using social media in the classroom Black Alliance for Educational Options' president recommits to educating students Americans for Tax Reform critiques PA plan to reallocate funding and the Commonwealth Foundation argues for fair treatment of cyber schools in Pennsylvania.

On Our Reading List Indiana governor makes promises to the state's charter schools
South Carolina Chapter members, Brantlee Taylor, Beth Purcell, Becky Fox, and Liz Connelly led an advocacy training day in Columbia. Rose Fernandez also joined to share her experiences.

Teachers unions' campaign targets charters, testing Paying rent challenges New York City charter schools PLUS: Feeling the love for charters, digital learning and customized education? You're in good company. Find out more in this month's blogs.

Cheers for Champions

Concocting new year's resolutions, state legislators? We have a few suggestions. A new year offers a fresh start. Will state legislators take this chance to reconsider their stance on public school options? Will past champions renew their commitment to their state's students? We hope so. In fact, we've put together a few new year's resolutions to help them out. May we suggest resolving:

1. To make options available to all public school students so that

each student can access the education that works for them.

2. To create sustainable authorization and funding mechanisms so 3. 4.

that students won't have to wonder from year to year if their school will continue to exist. To enforce fair funding so that public school students of all varieties can learn with the proper resources. To consider the input of families and students in their districts when policy that affects public school alternatives materializes. Upcoming Events National School Choice Week: January 26February 1, 2014 Digital Learning Day: February 5, 2014 National Charter Schools Conference: June 29July2, 2014, Las Vegas, NV More 2014 Capitol Day dates coming soon! Check your state coalition page for upcoming events in your area.
PublicSchoolOptions.org PO Box 3230 Arlington, VA 22203

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