Advocate Voices

Pharrell Williams’ new private school will serve low-income students at no cost

Special to redefinED June 15, 2021

Special to redefinED

Pharrell Williams’ nonprofit plans to open a group of small private schools for students from low-income families, the first of which will be in Norfolk, Va.

Editor’s note: This commentary from redefinED guest blogger Denisha Merriweather, director of Family Engagement at the American Federation for Children and founder of Black Minds Matter, appeared last week on project forever free.

This month, Pharrell Williams joined the club of Black celebrities who’ve launched K-12 schools. YELLOWHAB, a new network of private schools in Norfolk, Virginia, will serve lower-income students at no cost. Pharrell’s choice to use his brand, influence, and resources to create private schools will give him 100% autonomy to customize each school for the needs of his students.

Pharrell can hire his own teachers, customize curricula, and implement support services for students. Tuition is the biggest barrier of entry into private schools for parents with limited means in Norfolk; so, Pharrell has marshalled his resources to provide a tuition-free learning environment for families. Every child deserves access to a high-quality education of their parents’ choice, and I am thrilled to see Pharrell adding to the education options in Norfolk, despite the sometimes polarizing political nature of school choice.

Last year, I founded a national movement called Black Minds Matter to bring attention to the inequities in the education system that eerily resemble the institutional injustices of our criminal justice system. Lower-income families, many of whom are Black, are too often shackled to the public school-to-prison pipeline with no hope for relief. While I cannot presume to know precisely what motivated Pharrell to launch this venture, I’ve yet to meet a Black man or woman who doesn’t recognize the existing system fails too many kids.

I like to think of the celebrities who’ve launched schools in America as an army committed to making a real difference in the lives of students. Many have rags-to-riches stories that have inspired us all to persevere through the hardships and struggles we’ve faced. The impact their schools make will last far longer than celebrity apparel or sports programs.

To continue reading, click here.

June 15, 2021 1 comment

Advocate Voices Education Choice Featured Florida Tax Credit Scholarship News Features Private School Scholarships School Choice Student spotlight Tax Credit Scholarships

American Federation For Children future leader Hunter Hickson on consistent action, service to others

redefinED staff June 3, 2021

redefinED staff

Editor’s note: This profile is the fourth in a series featuring former Florida Tax Credit Scholarship recipients who are included in the 2020 cohort of the American Federation For Children’s Future Leaders Fellowship.

Despite growing up as one of four children in a single-parent household, Hunter Hickson had no idea his family was poor. His mom, who worked at a series of jobs, explained to him only recently how hard she tried to make everything seem normal.

“It was the first time I realized life had been difficult for her,” said Hunter, now 21. “She told me, ‘I would never have let you know that.’”

A large part of his mom’s efforts to make things seem normal centered around finding the right educational setting for each of her children. For Hunter, that meant sending him to a Christian school from kindergarten through 12^th grade. She had attended D- and F-rated public schools and wanted something different for him. So, she applied for an education choice scholarship that allowed her to send him to Victory Christian Academy in Lakeland.

“Because of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, I didn’t know I was a poor kid living near the poverty line,” Hunter said.

In hindsight, he knows the scholarship – and Victory Christian – set him on a course he wouldn’t have followed otherwise. Small classes meant his teachers knew his name. He was surrounded by role models and mentors who took an interest in him and understood his family’s situation. He was aware in middle school who his high school teachers would be, so he knew their expectations ahead of time.

From his vantage point as a soon-to-be graduate of Southeastern University, a Christian school in Central Florida affiliated with the Assemblies of God, Hunter perceives a more subtle benefit.

“Some people lower the standard for minority students,” he said. “They expect really high standards from white students, but they put minorities on a lower level. If the standard is an A+ for white students, it’s more like a B for you.”

At Victory Christian, he says, all students were treated equally. And no teacher “had it out” for him.

One teacher who impacted his life was his 10^th-grade English instructor, Jennifer Perez. She had assigned the class “Pride and Prejudice,” but Hunter, not thinking it was a good choice for a 15-year-old boy, didn’t give it his best shot. Perez failed him. The second time around, she allowed him to choose which book he wanted to read, something he’s sure would not have been an option in a public school.

And then somewhere along the way, Hunter picked up on a quote attributed to Aristotle, which became his mantra: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

That sentiment kindled within Hunter a respect for consistency and authority, which in turn led him in 2019 to enlist in the U.S. Army. After returning home from basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, he began pursuing a degree in legal studies at Southeastern.

His budding commitment to serving others attracted him to the American Federation For Children’s Future Leaders Fellowship. When COVID-19 curtailed the fellows’ ability to travel around the country telling their stories, Hunter started simply talking to other students at his school. When his legal studies professors assigned research papers, he wrote about civil rights cases such as Brown v. Board of Education. And when he had the time, he wrote op-eds about education choice for local and national media outlets.

He sees law school and a career in public service in his future. He sees a life-long commitment to education choice in his future as well.

“I want more kids to have the same experience I had to choose what school to go to,” he said. “If you’re at the wrong school, with the wrong teachers who don’t care about you, it’s unfair. It’s not logical.”

He’s convinced that having a positive educational experience is especially important to students of color.

“Most public schools focus young Black men on sports, to be famous, to make it to the league,” Hunter said. “People can’t believe the kid who played basketball on an outdoor court had these goals and aspirations to do so much more than anyone ever thought I could.”

For more information about scholarship programs administered by Step Up For Students, click here.

June 3, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Charter Schools Commentary and Opinion Customization Education and Public Policy Education Choice Featured Parental Choice Public School Choice School Choice

30 years strong: Charter schools and America’s education landscape

Special to redefinED May 31, 2021

Special to redefinED

Starting with a single charter school in Miami in 1996, the charter school movement has gained momentum in Florida and is now the state’s most popular school choice option, with nearly 700 charter schools serving 330,000 students.

Editor’s note: Today’s commentary comes from Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement.

Nina Rees

In 1991, Amazon and Google didn’t exist. Neither did smart phones. The internet was a fledgling idea, and a small band of teachers and school leaders in Minnesota were about to change America’s education landscape forever.

The state passed the first charter school law in the country, creating a new type of public school independent of the school district, focused on the individual needs and interests of students and propelling them to academic success. With the law’s passage, Minnesota became the model for flexible, student-centered, innovative public education options.

Fast forward 30 years to today, and 44 states have public charter school laws serving 3.3 million students. Nearly 220,000 dedicated teachers deliver education at 7,500 charter schools. Now that’s something to celebrate.

This month, National Charter Schools Week 2021 was a time to reflect on those 30 years of work to close the opportunity gap and deliver an excellent education to every student. The innovation that charter schools bring to education lies within the built-in flexibility and autonomy to design and implement classroom instruction. Simply put, teachers and leaders have the freedom to do whatever it takes. They can meet students where they are and provide the best learning methods for them to gain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in college, career and life.

That model works. Millions of students and thousands of teachers and schools make up the dynamic charter school community. Some schools focus on college prep, some follow a STEM curriculum, and others integrate the arts into each subject. All are focused on students and their unique learning needs.

Again this year, U.S. News & World Report released the 2021 Best High Schools ranking which included data on nearly 24,000 public high schools. And once again, charter schools outperformed. Charter schools made up 10% of public schools in the ranking, but they made up 24% of the top 100 best high schools.

Charter schools in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas were represented on the top 100.

Charter schools overwhelmingly serve underserved students: urban students and those who are Black, Latino or come from low-income families. And they do it exceptionally well. Students in urban charter schools gained 40 additional days of learning in math and 28 additional days of learning in reading per year as compared to their district school peers. Low-income Hispanic students gained 48 additional days in math and 25 additional days in reading, while low-income Black students gained 44 additional days in reading and 59 additional days in math per year.

And four or more years of enrollment in an urban charter school led to 108 additional days of learning in math and 72 additional days of learning in reading per year.

While it is important to look back at how far charter schools have come in three decades, it is even more important to look ahead. The pandemic has shown us that now more than ever, American families want more high-quality public education options.

Education is not a fixed place, a person, or a system – it is a right. Charter schools are a critical part of public education, and our movement to bring better options to more families who need it is growing. New schools are opening and enrollment is increasing, signaling that parents and communities want and need the educational options that charter schools provide.

Charter schools are born out of a community need for more and better, with passionate educators and parents who are committed to giving more kids the opportunity to have a great education, taking up the mantle and making it a reality. It is common to see charter schools led by former teachers who wanted to take the lessons they learned in the classroom and apply those lessons to an entire school. And that’s the beauty of the chartering model.

Charter schools across the country have the strong support of their local communities and people across the political spectrum. In Florida, the Legislature this year passed a law allowing Florida’s colleges and universities to issue charters, making the process easier, but not less accountable, to start and expand charter schools. This will lead to more education options and learning opportunities for Florida students.

What started with one law and one school in Minnesota has blossomed into a nationwide movement.

Student-centered, tuition-free, and always public, charter schools have changed the American public education landscape for the better. The celebration this month of National Charter Schools Week has been a time for everyone to highlight and celebrate the schools, students, education leaders and advocates that have demonstrated the strength and promise of the charter school movement over the last 30 years.

May 31, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Commentary and Opinion Education and Public Policy Education Choice Education Equity Education Legislation Featured Private School Scholarships Tax Credit Scholarships

SUFS president Doug Tuthill featured on national podcast

Special to redefinED May 21, 2021

Special to redefinED

For more than a decade, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has hosted a weekly podcast, the Education Gadfly Show. On this week’s episode, Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill joins Mike Petrilli, the Fordham Institute’s president and a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and David Griffith, a senior research and policy associate at the Fordham Institute, to discuss the potential impact of, and lessons learned, from Florida’s new school choice expansion in a segment titled, “Hooray for Florida’s new school choice legislation.”

Here’s a taste of what you’ll hear from Tuthill as he reflects on the landmark expansion of education choice in Florida.

“I think the Legislature said, ‘Okay, it’s time to grow up. We can integrate these programs, make them more simple and more elegant, easier for families to access,’ and that’s the big message in this bill. It significantly improved access. Over 1 million students were added to the eligibility through this program. The legislation dramatically expands the number of children who have access.”

“These programs have been islands. We’ve now integrated them into the funding system of the state of the normal public education funding mechanism. What you’re really seeing is a simplification over time, making them more user friendly, and sort of a normalization. It’s now a normal part of public education … It’s now normal in Florida.”

“We wanted to make sure no families are left out. Our philosophy has never been that only some kids deserve access to the school that best meets their needs … We’ve never been a pro-private school choice organization. We’ve always been a pro-education choice organization … When we find families who are being priced out or locked out, we try to reduce those barriers to maximize access for every family and every child.”

You can listen to the podcast here.

May 21, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Education Choice Featured Florida Tax Credit Scholarship News Features Private School Scholarships School Choice Student spotlight Tax Credit Scholarships

American Federation for Children future leader Nanya Morris-El on the importance of role models in beating the odds

redefinED staff May 20, 2021

redefinED staff

Editor’s note: This profile is the third in a series featuring former Florida Tax Credit Scholarship recipients who are included in the 2020 cohort of the American Federation For Children’s Future Leaders Fellowship.

Ask Nanya Morris-El the secret of his success and he’ll respond without hesitation: powerful role models and a state scholarship that allowed him to attend a private school.

Both were crucial, he says. But if it hadn’t been for the scholarship, the role models would not have appeared in his life.

As one of six children, Nanya had become accustomed to going without the extras his peers enjoyed. His parents sometimes struggled to put food on the family’s table. There was no educational option for Nanya beyond his zoned public school, despite the fact it was overcrowded and didn’t always feel like a safe place.

Nanya had difficulty learning to read, and to comprehend what he was reading. He was held back in second grade, which only served to further undermine his confidence. By the end of fourth grade, he felt he was swimming against a strong current he was powerless to overcome.

“I was unable to receive the help and attention from teachers that I needed,” recalls Nanya, who is now 23. “Because I came from a lower income family and this elementary school was the only one in my school zone, I had to continue going there.”

Then his family learned about the education opportunities available to Nanya and his siblings through the state’s system of education choice scholarships. One, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, had a track record of assisting low-income families like Nanya’s by providing them with financial resources to send their children to private schools that could be a better fit for them.

Nanya started attending Academy Prep Center of Tampa and his life changed.

Among the resources available to him at Academy Prep was an additional English class that helped him with grammar and reading comprehension. He had the opportunity to go on field trips to museums that expanded his world. Most important, he established relationships with teachers who were willing to go out of their way to guide and nurture him.

One of those teachers was Regina Fuller, who introduced him to a book he still remembers fondly, “We Beat the Streets.” The book recounts the story of three boys growing up in a neighborhood choked with guns and gangs. The boys overcame these obstacles, went to college and became doctors.

“I started to learn that just because you’re in a challenging situation now, it doesn’t mean you can’t get ahead in life,” Nanya said.

Another mentor was his science teacher, Ralph Moore. Under Moore’s careful tutelage, Nanya reveled in hands-on activities that “went beyond the textbook” and kindled in him a love of science and nature.

Also on Nanya’s list of role models was Chris W. Altenbernd, a former appellate judge who had served more than 27 years on Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. Nanya came to know Altenbernd in his role with the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council of Boy Scouts of America.

“He taught us how to tie knots and volunteer in the community,” Nanya recalls.

Nanya graduated from Academy Prep and earned a seat at highly competitive Jesuit High School in Tampa. He continued to excel academically and was accepted at Florida State University, where he majored in chemical engineering. He graduated in December, one semester ahead of schedule.

Now, he’s participating in General Electric’s Operations Management Leadership Program, which consists of three eight-month rotations that allow students to build leadership and functional skills through challenging assignments. He just finished a rotation at a healthcare manufacturing plant in Florence, South Carolina, and has moved on to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he’ll be immersed in the manufacture of X-ray imaging and CT scanners.

He’s also deeply involved in advocating for the type of education choice he says is responsible for getting him where he is today. As a member of the American Federation For Children’s Future Leaders Fellowship, Nanya travels the county meeting with families who struggle, as his did, with finding the best education options for their children. He writes op-eds for media outlets and talks to policymakers, all in an effort to dispel myths and spread the word about education choice.

For Nanya, this type of advocacy work has become second nature.

“Once I grasped its importance, I thought to myself, ‘If this is taken away, students just like me are not going to have the opportunity to go to a school like Academy Prep or Jesuit,’” he said. “You go to your public school, and if that doesn’t provide for your needs, that’s it. You just have to deal with it. I didn’t think that was the right way to go about it.”

For more information about scholarship programs administered by Step Up For Students, click here.

May 20, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Commentary and Opinion Customization Education and Public Policy Education Choice Education Legislation Featured Parental Choice

An Arizona mother’s plea: provide every child access to a safe, high quality classroom

Special to redefinED May 14, 2021

Special to redefinED

Editor’s note: Christina Foster of Phoenix, a long-time education choice advocate, pleads in this commentary for the passage of Arizona House Bill 2427. Foster’s daughter transferred this year to a micro-school located at the Black Mothers Forum, which partners with Prenda’s Micro-school program to create safe and supportive learning environments.

Arizona is a national leader when it comes to diverse school options. Having a statewide culture that embraces creativity and innovation in K-12 public education is critical for creating learning environments that allow every child to feel safe and thrive.

For more than 40 years, the state has had an open enrollment option. As with any program or law, modernization is the key to ensuring the needs of a community are met. While the state has a robust public charter school system and expansive open enrollment for public district schools, modifications are needed so that every family has access to the public school of its choice.

For decades, attendance zones have intentionally blocked students of color and low-income students from the best public schools. Enrollment processes like “first come, first served” disenfranchise the working poor who cannot afford to miss days of work to wait in line.

Unfortunately, many parents in low-income communities find the current system burdensome and confusing. It often is unclear to parents at what time of the year they are allowed to request enrollment and when they will know if their child is accepted. Also, some schools require parents to complete long applications and paperwork disclosing protected information – such as a student’s disability – before their children have even been enrolled.

The pandemic crisis has shed light on the need to enhance the open enrollment opportunity. Not every school is right for every child, and every parent should have the opportunity to determine what is best for his or her child.

Parents and school leaders are making their voices heard in the Arizona Legislature, advocating for changes to the current system that will equal the playing field. Families of color are frustrated with the sentiment that we are forced to attend our neighborhood school even when it is not the best fit for our children.

House Bill 2427 will make long overdue changes to Arizona’s open enrollment system to assist families searching for the best public school for their children.

We can do better, and we must do better, so every child has access to a safe, high quality classroom.

May 14, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Education and Public Policy Education Choice Featured News School Choice

American Federation For Children future leader Hera Varmah on overcoming challenges, being a role model

redefinED staff May 13, 2021

redefinED staff

Editor’s note: This profile is the second in a series featuring former Florida Tax Credit Scholarship recipients who are included in the 2020 cohort of the American Federation For Children’s Future Leaders Fellowship.

Hera Varmah had a dream as far back as middle school: to go to college, learn how to make healthful, tasty foods available to everyone, and do something important in the world.

But she had two challenges.

Math and science didn’t come easily to her, and her teachers, overwhelmed with more students than they could handle, didn’t have time to help her.

And because she was one of 11 children in a household of 16, she sometimes “got lost in the sauce” at home.

“I was struggling but I didn’t want my parents to know,” said Hera, now 21. “I hid my tests. When they finally found out, they were more upset that I didn’t ask for help when I should have.”

Once apprised, her parents took immediate action, enrolling Hera at Academy Prep Center of Tampa. The move would not have been possible without assistance from a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for lower-income students. Several of Hera’s siblings already were attending Academy Prep on the scholarship and were reaping excellent results.

Things didn’t change for Hera overnight. She continued to struggle because she wasn’t prepared for the rigorous college-prep curriculum. But with guidance from patient and persistent teachers, she began to make a turnaround.

“I got math tutoring at lunchtime, I got science tutoring during recess,” Hera said. “At first, I didn’t want to do the work. I’m really glad they pushed me.”

In hindsight, Hera doesn’t fault the teachers at her public school for her lack of progress there.

“They had so many students to focus on,” she said. “My teachers at Academy Prep were a lot more understanding of what I needed to focus on. They took the time to know every student.”

One teacher in particular was instrumental in Hera’s life.

“He asked if I had ever used note cards,” she said. “I tried that and did really well. I got my first A. He said, ‘We’re going to start using them for everything.’ Now I can remember what I learn without the note cards.”

As Hera’s grades improved, her confidence soared. She graduated from Academy Prep feeling more than ready for the rigors of Tampa Catholic High School. Four years later, in 2017, she was accepted at Florida A&M University.

She graduated this month with a degree in food science, well on her way to fulfilling her middle school dream.

Today, she can only imagine where she would be without the benefit of education choice and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.

“I probably would be where my elementary friends are now,” she said. “A few of them went to community college, but most of them started working right after high school. I probably would have struggled through high school and wouldn’t have gotten into a good college. It’s scary to think about.”

Hera considers her parents’ decision to participate in the state scholarship program the best decision they ever made.

“It gave my siblings and me a chance to be successful,” she said. “My oldest two brothers set the example for the rest of us to follow.”

In the years since, Hera has set the example for her younger brothers and sisters.

“It forces you to become a leader when you have a lot of siblings looking up to you, following you,” she said.

Hera’s leadership skills have found a new arena in the education choice advocacy world. Recently, the American Federation for Children selected her as a member of its Future Leaders Fellowship. She writes op-ed pieces for national newspapers and makes public appearances to talk to families and students about education choice options in their states.

“I think the best way to advocate for school choice is to tell my story,” she said. “Telling my story is like a tool. I know a lot of people don’t realize the difference these scholarships can make.”

She sees this as important work despite her busy schedule – and as something she plans to continue doing even though she’s no longer a student.

I definitely plan to advocate forever,” she said. “Wherever I go, I’ll be advocating.”

For more information about scholarship programs administered by Step Up For Students, click here.

May 13, 2021 0 comment

Advocate Voices Commentary and Opinion Education and Public Policy Education Choice Education Legislation Featured Parent Empowerment Parent Voices Parental Choice Private School Scholarships School Choice

District schoolteacher and single mom expresses gratitude to governor, lawmakers for school choice

redefinED staff May 13, 2021

redefinED staff

During one of two bill-signing ceremonies for a massive expansion of education choice in Florida this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers heard from grateful families whose lives will take a turn for the better thanks to the new legislation.

Among them was Marie Echevarria, an Orlando district high school teacher and single parent who sends her young son, Eddie Joe, to a private school. Until HB 7045 passed, her salary put her just over the income eligibility threshold for a school choice scholarship.

In this passionate testimonial, Echevarria recounts her struggle to keep Eddie Joe at the school she considers the best fit for him.

May 13, 2021 0 comment