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AUSTIN – Students, parents, teachers, and community leaders from across the Lone Star State will head to the capitol in Austin to celebrate opportunity in education on Friday, January 29th at 11:00AM.
The Houston-based nonprofit Families Empowered is coordinating free transportation for parents who are on the long waiting lists of public charter schools in Houston and San Antonio, Texas.
“When policymakers and ed-wonks get together, they sometimes leave parents out of the discussion. Families Empowered is making sure the needs of parents and students are at the center of the debate,” said Colleen Dippel, Found and Executive Director of Houston-based nonprofit Families Empowered.
This event will be at the south steps of the capitol, and will feature student performances and school choice success stories from parents, students, and educators from every educational option available in Texas – traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online academies, private schools, and home education.
The celebration is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (January 24th – 30th, 2016), which will be America’s largest-ever celebration of opportunity in education with more than 16,000 events being planned.
“At Families Empowered, our mission is to empower families to engage in the marketplace of schools,” said Dippel. “This rally provides parents with an opportunity to be a part of the solution they are seeking: access to high-quality school options, and the end of long charter school waitlists.”
“Parents are seeking educational options,” Dippel added. “It’s time for legislators and policymakers to hear from real parents.”
The event will feature remarks from Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush as well as educators, parents, and students from across the Lone Star State. Additionally, a slate of “Legislative Champions” will be recognized for their commitment to education reform including: Senators Bettencourt, Campbell, Lucio, Taylor as well as Representative Dwayne Bohac.
The event is being planned by a coalition of Texas organizations, including: Families Empowered, Texas Institute for Education Reform, ResponsiveEd, Americans for Prosperity – Texas, LIBRE
Initiative, The Texas Catholic Conference, Texas Charter Schools Association, Texas Private Schools Association, Connections Academy, Texas Business Leadership Council, Reason Foundation, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Liberty Action Texas.
Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for every child. Through thousands of independently planned events across the country, National School Choice Week raises public awareness of all types of educational choices available to children. These options include traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling.
Families Empowered bringing parents to Austin for School Choice Week
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