Americans Celebrate Education Options, Demand More School Choice As National School Choice Week - With 11,082 Events - Begins

Nation's largest-ever series of education-related events includes rallies, celebrations, activities at 22 State Capitals; 110+ mayors and county leaders and 19 governors issue official proclamations recognizing School Choice Week

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National School Choice Week

Jan 26, 2015, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National School Choice Week begins today, with 11,082 events planned across America to raise awareness of the importance of providing children with access to challenging, motivating, and effective education options.

The Week provides opportunities for parents to celebrate the education options available for their children via public, private and home education. Students, parents, teachers and individuals can also use the Week to speak out in support of expanding educational choice in their states.

The Week will be America's largest series of education-related events. Highlights include:

School choice supporters in various states have planned major rallies, celebrations, or activities, at 22 state capitals. Events are planned in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
19 US governors and more than 110 mayors and county officials have issued official proclamations designating January 25-31 as School Choice Week in their states and localities. Citywide proclamations include recognition from leaders of both parties, including the mayors of Anchorage, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Colorado Springs, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Dayton, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Norfolk, Orlando, Portland, Rochester, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Savannah, Shreveport, St. Louis, and Tulsa.
National School Choice Week President Andrew Campanella, executives from K12, Inc, and students from the Newark Prep Charter School in Newark, New Jersey will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, Jan. 26 to launch the Week and to raise global awareness of the importance of opportunity in education.
The US Senate last week passed a resolution recognizing Jan. 25-31 as School Choice Week. The bipartisan resolution passed unanimously. Also in the nation's capital, Congressional leaders will gather at the Cannon Caucus Room on Tuesday to celebrate National School Choice Week with students from a variety of different types of schools.

Other events across the country include open houses at schools, information sessions for parents, school assemblies, roundtable policy discussions and other events planned by local schools, organizations, and individuals. Of the 11,082 events planned, 9,600 are organized by schools, 1,000 are organized by homeschooling groups, and nearly 1,000 are organized by local organizations, such as chambers of commerce and education reform groups.

National School Choice Week 2015 will surpass and double the number of school choice awareness events held in 2014, which included 5,500 events across the country.

"School choice is no longer just an idea; it is a reality for many millions of American families, and National School Choice Week provides an opportunity for people across our nation to celebrate the benefits of providing parents with access to the best learning environments for their individual children," said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. "The Week also provides a prominent platform for parents who want even greater education options for their children to bring this to the attention of leaders."

Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort. The nonpolitical, nonpartisan effort shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for children, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling.

For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com or go to www.facebook.com/schoolchoiceweek

Contact:
Shelby Tankersley
Press Secretary, National School Choice Week
[email protected] or (202) 480-2927 ext. 2

SOURCE National School Choice Week