School choice is getting a boost in Virginia with recent passage of school choice legislation by the General Assembly for charter, lab and virtual school options.
The legislation began as a compromise for school choice advocates and opponents with Gov. Bob McDonnell’s initiative that would have allowed charter school applications review first by the state, then localities.
The intent was to boost possibility of local school board approval via state backing.
But local approval is preferred by school choice advocates from the start, because doing so empowers communities to decide how their tax dollars are spent on public education.
Students needing specialized learning assistance have a better chance of succeeding through education options like charter and virtual schools where traditional public schools have not met their needs.
These alternatives offer more freedom over curriculum, which can provide students lesson plans fitting individual learning abilities.
Though charters are public schools, traditional public schools tend to oppose them because they are viewed as competition for education dollars.
Charter schools are innovative public schools that are highly accountable for student results, designed to deliver programs tailored to the needs of the communities they serve.
They are among the fastest and most successful growing education reforms in the country. The first one opened in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1992. Now, more than 5,000 charter schools are serving over 1.5 million children across 39 states and Washington, DC.
For more information visit:
DC Parents for School Choice http://www.voicesofschoolchoice.org/
The Center for Education Reform http://www.edreform.com/Home/
District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (PCSB) http://www.dcpubliccharter.com/
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