American Federation for Children Spent More Than $7 Million in 2012

Expands Educational Choice Support Across the Country

New report shows that leading educational choice group and its affiliates influenced more than 200 political races

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 10, 2012)—A new report released today by the American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for educational choice—reveals that the Federation and its affiliated organizations spent more than $7 million on political races in 2012, helping elect nearly 200 candidates from across the country who have pledged to enact, expand, and strengthen educational choice for America’s children.

The Federation’s 2012 Election Impact Report—the third annual report detailing the organization’s investments in political races nationwide—profiles its investments in 219 races in nine different states—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. In total, 83 percent of the candidates supported by the organization and its affiliates in 2012 won their elections.

This year’s political involvement by the Federation and its affiliated organizations represents one of their largest investments ever, reinforcing their pledge to ensure that high-quality, accountable school choice legislation is enacted for children in greatest need of better educational opportunities.

“Our work in these elections is fundamentally important to the future of creating more, better, and higher-impact education reform across the country,” said Kevin P. Chavous, executive counsel to the American Federation for Children and a former Washington, D.C., Council member. “Through supporting a dynamic coalition of both Democratic and Republican lawmakers who are committed to improving the lives of children, especially those from low-income families, we can transform the lives of more young people than ever before through educational choice.”

Approximately 40 percent of the Federation’s total contributions to candidates in 2012 went to Democrats, an indication of the growing bipartisanship present in the educational choice movement.

The Federation and its affiliated organizations use candidate questionnaires to determine which candidates will support educational choice if elected.  Support comes via combination of direct contributions, independent expenditures, and in-kind expenditures, as well as strategic placement of radio and television advertisements.

The 2012 Election Impact Report also features profiles of some of the most noteworthy newly-elected choice supporters as well as incumbents from across the states, including: Arizona Sens. Barbara McGuire (D) and Kimberly Yee (R), Florida Rep. Bruce Antone (D), Indiana Gov.-Elect Mike Pence, North Carolina Sen. Malcolm Graham (D), North Carolina Reps. Marcus Brandon (D) and Rob Bryan (R), Ohio Rep. Bill Patmon (D), Pennsylvania Reps. Jim Christiana (R) and Vanessa Lowery Brown (D), Tennessee Reps. John DeBerry (D) and Tony Shipley (R), as well as Wisconsin State Sen. Rick Gudex (R) and Wisconsin Rep. Kathy Bernier (R).

Nationwide, there are 32 publicly-funded private school choice programs in 16 states and the District of Columbia. This year, it is anticipated that approximately 250,000 children will participate in these programs.

To download the Federation’s 2012 Election Impact Report, click here.

Read this release online here.

www.FederationforChildren.org

AmericanFederationFor Children - U.S. Department of Education Interference Hurts D.C. Voucher Program Enrollment

Despite bigger appropriation and strong demand, fewer children enrolled for 2012-2013 school year

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 23, 2012)—The highly successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) enrolled 1,584 children from low-income families for the 2012-2013 school year—fewer students than last year—in a reduction that comes despite a near $5 million increase in funding over the previous school year.

The D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (Trust), which administers the program, received nearly 1,500 new applications for the 2012-2013 school year, despite being told not to accept applications after March 31 of this year. In addition, the Trust was not given permission to hold scholarship lotteries for new applicants until July of this year.

The lower enrollment numbers are the result of a year-long effort by the U.S. Department of Education to limit participation in the OSP. In March, President Obama’s FY 2013 budget proposal zeroed out funding for the program, contradicting the law he signed last year. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) then sent a letter to the president pressing him and the administration to reverse course and expedite full implementation of the program.

After several weeks of negotiations, Speaker Boehner and Senator Lieberman announced in June that an agreement had been reached with the Department that would fully implement the program. The Department’s overall implementation guidance to the Trust, however, resulted in just 319 children being offered new scholarships and prevented hundreds of additional children from enrolling, including eligible private school children from low-income families who were specifically excluded.

“It is simply tragic that fewer children are participating in the OSP this year given the availability of funds and the incredibly strong demand from low-income District families,” said Kevin P. Chavous, senior advisor to the American Federation for Children and a former D.C. Councilmember. “This program provides children who are most in need with access to a quality education, and it’s appalling that the U.S. Department of Education continues to stand in the way of that vital choice.”

A bipartisan agreement in 2011 reauthorized the D.C. OSP at $20 million annually for five years. Under the FY 2011 budget agreement, the OSP received $15.5 million in funding for the 2011-2012 school year. The appropriation for FY 2012 was $20 million, which covered the 2012-2013 school year. For FY 2013, Congress is currently operating under a continuing resolution through March 31, 2013, which includes authority for the OSP to spend at an annual rate of $20 million.

Following reauthorization of the OSP last year, the demand was so strong that enrollment went from just over 1,000 children to more than 1,600— a 60 percent increase for the 2010-2011 school year. Demand was equally strong heading into this school year.

“Nearly 1,500 low-income families submitted applications to enroll their children in the OSP, but DOE’s guidance meant only 319 were offered scholarships,” Chavous said. “That’s not in the spirit of giving every child hope, that’s not fighting for equal access regardless of family income, and that’s not following the law.”

Because of the limited number of new students participating, a credible federal evaluation of the program cannot be initiated this year. The previous evaluation of the program found that OSP students graduate at a rate of 91 percent—more than 20 percentage points higher than those interested in the program, but who did not receive a scholarship. A subsequent study by the D.C. Trust found that 94 percent of participating students graduated in 2010 and 2011, and 89 percent of those graduates enrolled in a two- or four-year college. The program also enjoys very high parental satisfaction, with 92 percent of parents reporting being very or somewhat happy with their child’s academic progress in the program.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is the only federally-funded private school voucher program. Since its inception in 2004, more than 11,000 families have applied for the program, and nearly 6,000 have received scholarships.

Read this release online here.

www.FederationforChildren.org

AFC - News: Louisiana Teachers Union Makes Racially-Charged Claims about Black Education Reform Group

Louisiana Federation of Teachers makes outlandish, groundless claims that Black Alliance for Educational Options “endorses teaching that the KKK is good”

BATON ROUGE, LA (August 30, 2012)—One of the largest teachers’ unions in Louisiana said in a statement early today that the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)—a national group committed to helping give low-income African American families access to high-quality educational choices—“endorses teaching that the KKK is good,” a baseless an unsubstantiated claim that represents a new low in their continued opposition to reforms that challenge the educational status quo.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice, and a strong and unwavering BAEO ally—strongly condemned the remarks from the Louisiana Federation for Teachers (LFT), which appeared in a message posted on the official LFT Twitter page early this morning. The message was followed up with dozens of additional Twitter messages doubling down on the racist remarks, making demeaning statements about BAEO and other education reform groups and individuals, and making false claims about the nature of the statewide voucher program, its supporters, and how it affects children and families.

At no point on the Twitter feed does the LFT substantiate its claims—those that are completely at odds with the mission of BAEO and its like-minded allies.

“This is an absolutely appalling move by an organization that has taken desperation to new and unseen heights,” said Kevin P. Chavous, a senior advisor to the Federation and the former board chair of BAEO. “BAEO and its allies fight every single day to give children from low-income families access to the best educational options possible. We fight to overcome the institutional bigotry that has sentenced thousands of black children across the country to a substandard education. It’s a sad day when an organization like the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, which says it cares about kids, is among the organizations using degrading, race-baiting tactics to demean the very people who are doing their best to give kids hope.”

Chavous also demanded an apology from the LFT, and called on them to retract their statements or provide evidence backing up their unfounded claims.

“The LFT owes an apology to the thousands of black families across Louisiana who, through the work of BAEO and others, have gained access to an education that has changed their lives for the better,” Chavous said. “That the LFT would also stoop to such a level as families pray for safety in the shadow of a hurricane demonstrates more clearly than ever that this is a group that is out of touch with black families, the values of the people of Louisiana, the history of our country, and basic reality.”

This is the second time in just over a month that a local teachers union has resorted to shameful tactics to try to prevent low-income families from taking advantage of the statewide voucher program. In July, a lawyer on behalf of the Louisiana Association of Educators sent a letter to schools participating in the voucher program, threatening them with lawsuits if they did not drop out of the program. So far, not a single school has stopped its participating.

“The resolve of parents and schools is far greater than the threatening or racist scare-tactics from special interest groups,” Chavous said. “Families will not be intimidated, and they will continue to fight to give their children the best education possible.”

Read this release online here.

www.FederationForChildren.org

AFC - School Voucher Recipients More Likely to Enroll in College

New research shows significant increase in college enrollment for African American students

WASHINGTON, DC (August 23, 2012)—A new study released today by researchers at the Brookings Institution and Harvard University shows that African American participants in a private school choice program were 24 percent more likely to enroll in college as a result of receiving a voucher, reinforcing previously-released data showing improved graduation rates, parental satisfaction, and academic achievement among voucher students.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the findings, which tracked voucher students in New York City over a nearly 15-year period. The research also shows that African American enrollment rates in selective colleges more than doubled among voucher students, and the rate of enrollment in full-time colleges increased by a remarkable 31 percent.

The study, which represents one of the longest-term measurements of school outcomes among voucher recipients, is also the first study to use a randomized experiment to measure the impact of school vouchers on college enrollment.

“Once again, the evidence clearly shows that putting all educational options on the table pays dividends for the students, both now and in the long-term,” said Kevin P. Chavous, a senior advisor to the Federation. “This research makes clear the life-changing affect receiving a voucher can have on a child, and should be a signal to folks across the country that we need to bring more choice to the communities most in need. It is both a moral and an economic imperative that we do so.”

Data for the newly-released analysis was drawn from an evaluation of a New York City voucher program that operated in the late 1990s and granted scholarships to low-income students to attend the private school of their parents’ choice. The New York School Choice Scholarships Foundation Program served more than 2,600 students, almost all of whom participated in the study.

The results, which were presented today at an event at the Brookings Institution in Washington, are the latest evidence of the success of private school choice programs. The data is consistent with the results of a 2010 study of the D.C. voucher program by the Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences that found voucher participants graduate at a rate of 91 percent—more than 30 percentage points higher than students who stayed in the public schools.

Similar studies showing increased achievement and parental satisfaction have been conducted in Milwaukee, Florida, and Louisiana.

The gold standard study was authored by renowned school choice researcher Paul E. Peterson, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Matthew M. Chingos, a fellow at Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Full findings of the study can be downloaded here.

Read this release online here.

American Federation for Children Condemns Teachers Union Bullying of Louisiana Schools

I just wanted to make sure you saw the pretty remarkable news concerning lawsuit threats from the Louisiana Association of Educators' against individual voucher schools if they did not drop out of the program. We wrote a release about it yesterday -- please see below.

And as I'm sure you've seen, The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge had a pretty direct -- and telling -- front page this morning. You can take a look at it here.

 

If you have any questions about the story or would like comment from the reform angle, please feel free to contact me. My information, both email and phone, are below. Thanks!

Malcom Glenn

National Director of Communications

American Federation for Children

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As low-income families access scholarships, threat from union lawyers aims to hurt thousands of families statewide

BATON ROUGE, LA (July 26, 2012)—The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—today condemned the actions of the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), after counsel for the teachers union yesterday sent threatening letters to schools participating in Louisiana’s statewide voucher program, urging them to drop out of the program or face a lawsuit from the union.

The letter comes despite a judge’s ruling two weeks ago that dismissed a union attempt to get an injunction stopping the program.

In the letter, which was faxed to participating voucher schools yesterday evening, a law firm retained by the LAE union threatens to initiate litigation against individual schools if they do not pledge—in writing—by 4 p.m. local time tomorrow to cease participation in the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program.

Kevin P. Chavous, a senior advisor to the Federation, denounced the bullying tactics as a remarkably cruel attempt to block children from attending the schools their parents have chosen for them.

“It’s despicable that adults would use the threat of legal action to stop schools from accepting students who desperately want a better education, thereby squashing their dreams and those of their parents,” Chavous said. “Even by standards of the typical special interest bullying tactics, this is an unbelievably demeaning and insulting action that aims ultimately to hurt the futures of thousands of children.”

The threatening letters to schools on behalf of LAE are in contrast with the strong demand for the program. LAE’s actions came just a day after the Department of Education announced the extension of 5,637 scholarship offers to students to participate in the program this fall—just a portion of the 10,300 applications the Department received—illustrating that any attempts to stop schools from participating in the program are at odds with the demand from parents.

Of the initial scholarship offers, 84 percent of students in first through 12th grade attended a school rated “D” or “F” by the state last year.

An accountability proposal from the department was also approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) on Tuesday, further strengthening the program prior to yesterday’s bullying letters.

Chavous, a former D.C. City Council member who has also worked for years to reform education in Louisiana, reiterated that the recent LAE move was unprecedented in its callousness.

“Personal power should never, ever be put ahead of the best interest of disadvantaged children,” Chavous said. “These union leaders have no shame.”

Read this release online here.