Reason Foundation to Host 'Beyond Test Scores' Event With Miss Virginia Screening During School Choice Week

Join us for a special screening of the film Miss Virginia and a panel discussion on school choice featuring Corey DeAngelis, Lisa Snell, Nina Rees and Gregory McGinity.

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National School Choice Week

Jan 20, 2020, 08:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Families care about much more than just test scores when they're choosing a school. A school's culture and environment, its approaches to learning, ability to provide personalized attention, and overall safety are among the things that are hugely important to parents and students. Please join Reason Foundation for a free screening of the film "Miss Virginia" and a panel discussion exploring the importance and far-reaching impact of educational choice on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at the AMC Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

The event, "Beyond Test Scores: How Miss Virginia Shows Us the Real Need for School Choice," features a screening of the critically-acclaimed feature film "Miss Virginia" starring Uzo Aduba, Matthew Modine, Vanessa Williams, and Niles Fitch. The movie is inspired by the true story of Virginia Walden Ford, a single mother who fought to create a private school voucher program to help kids in low-income families, including her son, escape failing district-run public schools.

Following the move screening there will be a panel discussion on the need and evidence for school choice, featuring Corey DeAngelis, Reason Foundation's director of school choice; Lisa Snell, director of K-12 policy partnerships at Stand Together; Nina Rees, CEO and president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; and Gregory McGinity, executive director of the California Charter Schools Association.

"School choice is important to all families, but it disproportionately helps our least advantaged kids. The obvious takeaway from 'Miss Virginia', and from research on the topic, is that parents prioritize far more than simply test scores when they're choosing schools," said Corey DeAngelis. "Families know and understand their kids are far more than test scores and statistics, so we shouldn't be surprised that the evidence shows school choice also improves non-test score outcomes such as educational attainment, safety and crime reduction."

The Jan. 29 event at the AMC Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, is free, but registration is required at: westhollywoodcascreening.splashthat.com.

This event coincides with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2020, which will feature more than 50,000 school choice events across all 50 states.

Reason Foundation is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing free minds and free markets. Reason Foundation produces respected public policy research on school finance, school choice and a variety of issues and publishes the critically-acclaimed Reason magazine and its website www.reason.com. For more information please visit www.reason.org.

For more information, contact Patrick McMahon, Reason Foundation's digital communications manager, at [email protected].

As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for students, families, and communities around the country. From January 26 through February 1, 2020, more than 50,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com/california.

SOURCE National School Choice Week