Colorado Students, Teachers Lift a Voice for School Choice at State Capitol

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Jan 15, 2024, 04:15 ET

500 community members to sing, perform at Capitol during School Choice Week

DENVER, Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Students, parents, and educators are bringing their love for learning to the Capitol steps this School Choice Week. On Tuesday, Jan. 23, hundreds of students, educators, and parents from across the state will gather at the West Steps of the Capitol to highlight the power of educational options to change lives.

The 1-2 p.m. celebration will kick off with a variety of musical and artistic performances, and wrap up with a student performance of "America the Beautiful." Participating students and community leaders will reflect the diversity of Colorado's education–from classical education to online learning to homeschooling to private Christian and Jewish learning options–each will be represented at the celebration.

The celebration gives students the opportunity to see the State Capitol, and stakeholders the opportunity to hear directly from students and educators about the impact of educational choice. Event planners say they hope the event encourages families to explore Colorado's wealth of school choice opportunities.

The celebration will be one of the state's flagship events as National School Choice Week (Jan. 21-27) kicks off nationwide. Additional large events in the state include a school fair in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 20, and a school fair in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Jan. 27. The history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2024 will feature tens of thousands of school choice celebrations across all 50 states, including more than 400 in the Centennial State.

Said Dr. Kimberlee Gill, "Students deserve the opportunity to access the education that best meets their needs. It is impossible for a single school to serve the breadth of diversity that comes with children's educational needs. Colorado has done a great job of providing protection for homeschool parents and opening charter and district choice options. But there are other types of education, like private schooling, which have so far been excluded from Colorado's school choice programs. As we examine the many states across the nation that are supportive of both public and private educational options, we find that Colorado is behind the times in educational funding. It is our hope that this celebration will bring awareness and energy to that conversation."

This event is hosted by the Colorado Association of Private Schools, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, Parents Challenge, and Parents United.

The Colorado State Capitol is located at 200 E. Colfax Ave.

National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, including traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private, and homeschooling. Every January, tens of thousands of schools, organizations, and individuals plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

SOURCE National School Choice Week