Milton and Rose Friedman’s vision of school choice for all takes one step closer to reality

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The Foundation for Educational Choice today praised Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for signing the nation’s largest voucher program into law. The School Scholarship Act (House Bill 1003) creates a school voucher program that has the broadest eligibility of any voucher program in the nation.

“This is truly a historic day for Indiana’s children,” said Robert Enlow, President and CEO of the Foundation for Educational Choice. “Gov. Daniels’ signature today puts Indiana at the top of the class for educational choice. Moreover, this sends an important message to families across the country: meaningful education reform is possible. We should never give up fighting for access to high-quality educational options for every child, regardless of family income or where they live.”

Gov. Daniels has been an outspoken supporter of school choice. He highlighted the need for increasing parental options in his 2011 State of the State address:

“We must begin to honor the parents of Indiana. We must trust them, and respect them enough, to decide when, where, and how their children can receive the best education, and therefore the best chance in life…For families who cannot find the right traditional public school, or the right charter public school for their child, and are not wealthy enough to move near one, justice requires that we help. We should let these families apply dollars that the state spends on their child to the non-government school of their choice.”

House Bill 1003 became a cornerstone of Gov. Daniels’ education reform agenda. With strong support from Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, and Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, the passage of the School Scholarship Act dramatically expands educational options in Indiana.

In addition to creating a school voucher program for low- and middle-income families, the bill also doubles the preexisting cap on the scholarship tax-credit program and creates a tax deduction for any family that pays out of pocket for educational expenses relating to private or home schools.

Enlow said the legislation was a significant step toward the vision of Nobel Laureate and co-founder of the Foundation for Educational Choice, Dr. Milton Friedman. In 1998, Dr. Friedman wrote, “We have so far only seen the early fruits from the introduction of vouchers, from giving parents a choice. The best is yet to come as competition and the market work their wonders.”

“Today, Milton Friedman’s vision for school choice is becoming a reality across the country,” said Enlow. “With the passage of the School Scholarship Act in Indiana, we are closer to realizing Friedman’s vision of liberty in education for every child.”

The Foundation applauded the following individuals for their leadership: Gov. Mitch Daniels, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, Senators Dennis Kruse and Carlin Yoder, and long-time choice advocate and House Education Chair Robert Behning.

The Foundation also expressed gratitude to School Choice Indiana, School Choice Indiana Network, Indiana Catholic Conference, Indiana Non-Public Education Association, Indiana Public Charter Schools Association, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana BAEO, Schools That Can Indianapolis and national allies at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, American Federation for Children, Institute for Justice, and Agudath Israel.

Please visit EdChoice.org/IndianaVouchers for an expanded analysis of the legislation.

The new law also extends for two years the above-the-line deduction for certain expenses incurred by elementary and secondary school teachers. Classroom teachers and certain other personnel in public and private schools may continue to deduct up to $250 for their out-of-pocket expenditures for books, computer equipment and software, and other materials and supplies used in the classroom.

For the first time since the inception of the program, private school teachers are eligible to apply for the U.S. Department of Education’s Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program (TAF).  The Office of Non-Public Education encourages teachers in private schools to consider applying to be a fellow. 

The TAF program offers two, year-long tracks: the Washington Fellowship, which is a full-time appointment based at the Department’s Headquarters in Washington, DC; and the Classroom Fellowship, which enables teachers to remain teaching in their schools and participate on a part-time consultancy basis for the Department, working in collaboration with the Department’s Regional Offices.

Fellows spend a year gaining greater knowledge of the content of key federal programs and policies, in addition to the context and process by which they are designed and implemented. Fellows share their expertise with federal staff members; provide outreach and communication about federal initiatives to other educators on behalf of the Department; and facilitate the involvement and understanding of teachers in developing and implementing these efforts at the federal, state and local levels to improve the likelihood of their success.

Desirable TAF Applicants Have:

• Demonstrable and meaningful impact on student achievement,
• A record of leadership in the school and community settings,
• Strong written and oral communication skills,
• The ability to provide relevant insight from school and classroom experiences to education policy, programs and initiatives,
• Experience with activities that have effectively prepared them for Fellowship work, and
• Support from school, community and other educational leaders.

Additional Information

The deadline for applying for the TAF program is January 17, 2011.

For additional information about eligibility, follow this link.

To apply for the program, visit this link.

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Nominations Sought for Regional Advisory Committees

The Secretary is establishing Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) in order to collect information on the educational needs of each of the ten regions served by the Regional Educational Laboratories. The RACs will seek input regarding the need for the technical assistance activities described in section 203 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act and how those needs would be most effectively addressed. In order to achieve this purpose, the RACs will seek input from chief executive officers of States; chief State school officers; educators, including teachers and administrators; local educational agencies; librarians; businesses; State educational agencies; parents; and other customers within each region.

Not later than six months after each RAC is convened, the committee will submit a report based on this needs assessment to the Secretary.  Each report will identify the educational needs of the region and how those needs would be most effectively addressed.

The Secretary will establish priorities for the comprehensive centers to address, taking into account these regional assessments and other relevant regional surveys of educational needs, to the extent the Secretary deems appropriate.

Any interested person or organization may nominate one or more qualified individuals for membership. The membership of each RAC may include the following: Representatives of local educational agencies, both rural and urban; representatives of institutions of higher education, including those that represent university-based research on education and on subjects other than education; parents; practicing educators, including classroom teachers, principals, administrators, school board members, and other local school officials; representatives of business; and researchers. Each RAC will be composed of approximately 12 members. 

Additional Information

View the notice of establishment of 10 Regional Advisory Committees here.

Request for nominations to serve on the Regional Advisory Committees is located here.

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Scroll down to page 3 of the CAPE newsletter for an important article on the U.S. Supreme Court which is deliberating on the constitutionality of an Arizona law which grants tax credits to residents who make donations to private school scholarship funds. The decision of the Court will impact similar programs in other states.

Visit www.mncatholiced.org for more information regarding registration, specific worshop times and offerings, hotel discounts, and the Minnesota Catholic All-State Honor Choirs.

The findings, from a leading national expert who analyzed six years of data, estimate that 3,352 additional Milwaukee students would have received diplomas between 2003 and 2008 if public school graduation rates had matched those of low-income students using educational vouchers. Based on a separate study reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Erin Richards, the annual impact from 3,352 more MPS graduates would include an additional $21.2 million in personal income and $3.6 million in extra tax revenue.

“This new study deserves the attention of state and federal officials — including President Barack Obama — who seek education reforms that produce solid results,” said Jeff Monday, principal of Milwaukee’s nationally recognized Messmer High School.

The author of the new study, University of Minnesota Professor John Robert Warren, estimated a 2008 graduation rate of 77% for school choice students and 65% for public school students. The difference — twelve percentage points — translates into an 18% higher rate for voucher students. Dr. Warren found a similar average difference for the six-year period of 2003 through 2008.

In last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated a recurring theme that he and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan have stressed: “The idea here is simple. Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform that raises student achievement.”

“If President Obama wants to fund proven school reform, I urge him to look at Milwaukee’s voucher program, which has proven to be both effective and has saved taxpayers tens of millions,” said Terry Brown, President of St. Anthony’s Catholic School. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently called St. Anthony’s “a powerhouse on the local [educational] scene.” St. Anthony’s is the largest grade school — public or private — in Milwaukee.

The higher graduation rates for students in Milwaukee’s private school choice program are noteworthy because per pupil taxpayer support for choice students ($6,442) is less than half the $14,011 spent in the Milwaukee Public Schools.

In the new study, Professor Warren explains that eligibility for the choice program is limited to students from low-income families while “students in MPS schools come from a much broader range of social and economic backgrounds.”

Recognition is growing that low graduation rates present a fundamental barrier to the future of young Americans. Congressman George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee said that “the dropout crisis we’re seeing in our nation’s high schools is real, it’s urgent, and it must be fixed.”  The New York Times’ Sam Dillon, describing a Northeastern University study, reported that “On any given day, about one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates…The picture is even bleaker for African-Americans.”

A full copy of Professor Warren’s report is available at: http://www.schoolchoicewi.org/currdev/detail.cfm?id=309.

Professor Warren notes that researchers at the University of Arkansas are conducting a detailed study of the choice program. He said their work might offer explanations for the higher graduation rates of choice students.

Archbishop John Nienstedt welcomed the commitment: “The Pohlad family’s quiet giving has focused on providing opportunities that help young people move out of poverty. We are grateful for the family’s recommitment to Catholic education in neighborhoods where poverty has been growing.”

The tuition assistance is to be given to two groups of Catholic schools:

A total of $900,000 will be distributed among twelve schools. All are members of a network called FOCUS (Friends of the Catholic Urban Schools). The schools began cooperating with one another in 2004 to improve teacher recruitment, training, compensation, communications, and fundraising. The schools will receive approximately $750 for each student currently enrolled who is eligible to receive free-or-reduced-cost hot lunch services, a widely recognized measure of family poverty. The schools in this group include: Risen Christ, Pope John Paul II, Ascension, and San Miguel in Minneapolis; Saint Agnes, Saint Matthew, Saint Francis/Saint James; and Saint Peter Claver in Saint Paul. Four first-ring suburban schools are also involved: Saint Raphael in Crystal; Saint Michael in West Saint Paul; Blessed Trinity in Richfield; and Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale.

Pohlad Family Foundation board member Robert Pohlad commented: “A strong education opens many doors and is the way out of poverty. My family appreciates the efforts of these schools to reach out to children and families who are working toward a better future. My brothers and I thank FOCUS-member schools for their decision to work together to improve the teaching and learning occurring in their buildings.”

The remaining $100,000 will be given as challenge grants to seven other Catholic schools. Each of these schools has at least 20% of their student population that is eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch. The schools are scattered around the Twin Cities: Saint Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center; Saint Jerome in Maplewood; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Maternity of Mary in Saint Paul; Saint Helena in Minneapolis; Saint John Vianney in South Saint Paul; and Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery. Each school will be challenged to raise a proportional share of $50,000 by Easter, 2010 to be eligible for a two-for-one matching gift.

The Student Edition is a publication that offers young people a wealth of information about our state, our government and elected officials. This most recent edition is a resource of facts and statistics about Minnesota and includes official state symbols, historic documents, and a guide to good citizenship.

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Washington, DC – Arizona’s Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit Program is constitutional, the Arizona Supreme Court indicated in a decision yesterday. The Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice applauded the Arizona Supreme Court’s action, which denied a request to hear an appeal of the March 2009 decision in Green v Garriott—a decision that upheld the program’s constitutionality. The scholarship tax credit program provides increased educational opportunities to 1,947 disadvantaged children throughout the Grand Canyon State.www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org

Green v Garriott was originally filed in September of 2006 by the Arizona School Boards Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This action by the state Supreme Court marks the end of a long legal battle and demonstrates a clear victory for school choice in Arizona,” said Betsy DeVos, Chairman of the Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice.  “Most importantly, this decision is a victory for low-income children in Arizona and for parents who seek to choose the best schools for their children.”

Yesterday’s decision marks the second time that the state’s highest court has affirmed that the corporate school tuition organization tax credit is constitutional.

The Institute for Justice successfully defended the program on behalf of the Arizona School Choice Trust, a nonprofit school tuition organization (STO) that receives contributions to fund private school scholarships for low-income children.

More than 16 STOs are operating under the Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit, and 156 schools accept students who receive scholarships from the program.

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The Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice work to promote public policy advancing school choice and education reform in numerous states throughout the country, as well as in the District of Columbia. For more information, visit