TRENTON, N.J., Jan. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — New Jersey students love having choices for what school they attend and are ready to demonstrate the power of options this National School Choice Week. At New Jersey’s largest celebration of learning during the Week, students, families, and local leaders will gather for an upbeat student showcase and community conversation about K-12 options and opportunity in the Garden State.
The first-of-its-kind event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26 at the War Memorial, just outside the New Jersey State Capitol. Highlights of the showcase will include a dramatic reading by Tranquil Teachings Learning Center students and a performance of the official National School Choice Week dance by SproutU School of the Arts students.
Emceed by school choice advocate and education consultant Tillie Elvrum, the celebration will feature remarks from parents, teachers, and community leaders who will share how their students have benefited from school choice and offer tips for navigating New Jersey’s different learning models.
Event speakers include entrepreneur, media personality, and father Bill Spadea, the top morning drive talk show host in New Jersey on 101.5 FM; Deanna Nye of New Jersey Parents for Virtual Choice; Kai Collins of Expanding Education for All; Yolanda Johnson of Parents Educating Parents; teacher Paul Lund; congressional candidate Darius Mayfield; and Joe Miller, former board member of the Audubon Board of Education.
Lunch, school exhibitors, and free School Choice Week swag will add to the fun.
The goal of the event? To celebrate New Jersey learners, and host a meaningful community conversation about what educational opportunities New Jersey families would like to see in the future.
Currently, New Jersey offers several learning choices, including public school choice districts in some areas, about 90 public charter schools across the state, several public magnet schools, homeschooling, and microschooling. Unlike the majority of states, New Jersey does not currently offer a state-run private school choice program or free, full-time online learning.
This event is planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week (Jan. 21-27, 2024). Featuring tens of thousands of school choice celebrations across all 50 states, the Week celebrates all types of K-12 learning. More than 700 of these events will take place in New Jersey.
“It is my goal for New Jersey to become the leader in the nation in education choice. I have found that communities know exactly what they need. The question on the ground in New Jersey is not whether we need more options and opportunity,” said parent leader and advocate, Kai Collins. “The question is, how do we arrive with the meaningful education choice and access necessary to serve every learner in The Garden State? This is what we are here to talk about this year.”
This event is organized by New Jersey parent leaders in partnership with E3, a research and policy non-profit with the mission of closing gaps in educational achievement in New Jersey.
The War Memorial is located at 1 Memorial Drive in Trenton. The event will take place in the Washington Ballroom.
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.
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SOURCE: National School Choice Week
