By Trish Svoboda/Images courtesy NSCAF
National School Choice week, taking place this year from January 25 – January 31, is a time for parents to get to know their options for school enrollment. Over the past several years, school options have expanded significantly for Kansas parents with the adoption of statewide open enrollment, which allows students to attend school outside of their zone or district as room allows, as well as a tax credit making private education more affordable for qualifying students. The legislation also allowed homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities.
School Choice Week allows parents to explore options and have more time to make enrollment decisions by looking at schools early in the process. More than 200 schools participate across the state hosting open houses, parent nights, and information sessions. No sign up or registration is required for parents to participate.
Andrew Campanella, CEO of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, said they want every parent to know what their options are, especially now that there are more choices than ever before in Kansas. “Families across the state have these opportunities to be able to send their kids to schools that might be a better fit because every child learns differently, and we want all kids to be fully prepared for the challenges of real life,” he said. “Whether it’s traditional public school, public charter school, public magnet school, online school, private school, home schooling, and non-traditional learning like micro schooling, which is thriving in Kansas, we want people to use this week to look at these different options and consider what the right environment might be for their kids.”
Campanella highlighted that what may be a good school for one student might not be a good fit for another and school choice allows parents to find what works best for their individual kids. He cited a story about a mom whose son was struggling in school, and after attending a school fair, found the right fit for him and after graduating he joined the military and now serves our country. He said sometimes the situations aren’t as extreme where a child is on the verge of failing, but instead a situation where a child may seem sluggish and not want to go to school every day.
“They find a place that is the right fit where they can find their people, their friends and get inspired about learning something. If you go through the process and you evaluate your options and you make an informed decision, all the research shows that doing those things leads to better outcomes for your kid.”
School Choice Week shines an equal spotlight on all the different options available for parents, ensuring every family has the chance to provide their children with the opportunity to learn in a setting where they can thrive, succeed, and be happy.
“If you are a parent and you are thinking about making a change to your child’s education, not just because you might be dissatisfied, but maybe because your child is entering school for the first time next year, or your child is going from elementary to middle school or middle to high school, or you’re relocating to a different neighborhood, start thinking about education now. Start thinking about these decisions now. It’s so important to be giving yourself the time to research this information, and we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible online without a lot of education jargon so that families can go through this process with as much ease as possible.”
For more information and to find schools in your area, visit myschoolchoice.com/Kansas, schoolchoiceweek.com/kansas.
