2009 June School Reform News: Rallying for Choice in DC

Published June 1, 2009

The June 2009 issue of School Reform News reports on a May 6 rally that attracted some 2,000 people to the nation’s capital, where parents and children alike expressed support for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Also in this issue:

* South Carolina could become the latest state to implement a tax credit scholarship program allowing
low-income children to attend the private school of their parents’ choice.

* Federal stimulus funds heading to the states for spending on schools have some concerned the funding will allow states to stall much-needed reforms.

* Texas lawmakers may lift the state cap on charter schools and increase their funding.

* A new report calls for a sliding scale of accountability for private schools that receive public funds to help educate students, but experts are divided over the best approach.

* Parents and students in Florida are upset over legislators’ recent efforts to cut millions of dollars in funding from the Florida Virtual School, a popular online education program serving nearly 100,000 students statewide.

* The most recent installment in an ongoing study of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program shows vouchers are helping students make academic gains while saving taxpayer dollars.

* Michigan lawmakers dropped consideration of a costly teachers union-inspired bill to fund early retirement plans for thousands of teachers statewide.