DES MOINES – Today, the Iowa Chapter of PublicSchoolOptions.org awarded Gov. Terry Branstad with its Golden Apple, recognizing his efforts as a champion of school choice. The award was presented by Jen Wubben and Michelle Majeski, co-chairs of the PublicSchoolOptions.org Iowa Chapter. They are also parents of students who attend virtual school. Gov. Branstad has supported…
Last week, a former official at the National Alliance of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) and a self-proclaimed education reformer, tweeted an offensive and insensitive analogy, likening the country’s virtual schools – which serve thousands of students – to thalidomide. What is thalidomide? It was a drug used in the 1950’s that caused severe birth defects…
I recently returned from the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s 2016 National Summit on Education Reform. This conference is always a favorite because the panel discussions and keynote speakers are inspiring. The conference is led by reformers and advocates who are working to make a world-class education available to every child. As parent advocates, and national board members at PublicSchoolOptions.org, we attend lots of conferences every year to learn about school choice and policies that affect our families.
Earlier this year, parent advocates from across the country took planes, trains, and automobiles out to our nation’s capital, Washington DC. Why? To learn how to more effectively advocate for public school options for their children. All of these parents have their own school choice story. They come from different backgrounds and all have…
BATON ROUGE, La. – Today, a five-judge panel from the Louisiana Court of Appeal First Circuit heard for a third time oral arguments in the case of Iberville Parish School Board, et al v. Louisiana State Elementary and Secondary Education Board, et al. A three-judge panel heard oral arguments in February; however, the case was referred to…
WASHINGTON – A new national survey of likely general election voters finds overwhelming opposition to closing local schools based primarily on the results of high-stakes, standardized test scores. Additionally, voters believe that all public schools, whether charter schools or traditional brick and mortar schools, should be held to the same accountability and closure standards. The…
There’s been a lot of buzz lately in the education world about high-stakes testing. Students don’t like it because they have to sit quietly for 4 hours at a time. Teachers know it takes up valuable instructional time. Parents aren’t convinced that one number can accurately describe their child’s academic performance. A recent survey commissioned…
By: Colleen Cook Let’s face it, creating real and meaningful change is hard. It requires disciplined effort and significant time. I was blessed to spend part of the third week of November with inspiring creators of change at the South Carolina Charter Schools Conference. It brought together many smart, thoughtful leaders who are fighting to…
By: Tillie Elvrum My family has always been a family “on the move” due to my husband’s Air Force and corporate careers. We have never lived in any state longer than 5 years, so we’ve called many places home, and as President of PublicSchoolOptions.org I’ve had the privilege to return to many of the places…
WASHINGTON – PublicSchoolOptions.org president Tillie Elvrum made the following statement on the appointment of Betsy DeVos as United States Secretary of Education. STATEMENT FROM TILLIE ELVRUM, PUBLICSCHOOLOPTIONS.ORG PRESIDENT, PARENT LEADER AND SCHOOL CHOICE ADVOCATE: “We are very pleased with President-Elect Trump’s decision to appoint school choice champion Betsy DeVos as the next United States Secretary…