In this charter school, Black families find understanding, trust
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dorian Smith wanted a more academically challenging environment for his daughter, D’Yani, so after third grade he moved her from her struggling neighborhood school to a magnet school. Because of staff churn, though, that school wasn’t working out either. So, in the middle of fifth grade, Smith turned to a college-prep charter school other parents had been telling him about for years. Now D’Yani is a sixth grader at Somerset Academy Eagle Campus, and excelling. Smith described the school as having “more of a home vibe.” It’s smaller, warmer, and more structured, he said. It sets high expectations for student performance and communication with parents. And it matters, he said, that in a school where 96% of the students are Black, so are nearly 70% of the teachers and administrators. READ MORE
New Worlds Reading Initiative, first statewide program of its kind in Florida, begins distributing books in December
When Laura Negroni needed help boosting her daughter Natalia’s state reading test scores a few years ago, she turned to the Florida Reading Scholarship Account, which provided her with $500 she could spend on devices and tutoring services. (The Reading Scholarship Account program is administered by Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.) The iPad that Negroni chose gave Natalia access to books and educational games that improved her reading skills and brought her up to Florida standards. Starting in December, an estimated 500,000 students like Natalia will get access to even more reading resources through the New Worlds Reading Initiative, a groundbreaking program approved by the Florida Legislature during the 2021 legislative session. Outlined in HB 3, the program and other literacy initiatives were part of Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls’ legislative agenda, which included HB 7045, the largest expansion of a school choice program in the nation. READ MORE
podcastED: reimaginED executive editor Matthew Ladner and Heritage Foundation’s Jonathan Butcher discuss education savings accounts
On this episode, Ladner and the Heritage Foundation’s Will Skillman Education Fellow discuss Butcher’s new report studying spending trends of families using North Carolina’s Education Savings Account. The report shows that significantly more families in North Carolina are using their ESA money on different purchases and services than in other states that have ESA programs. Ladner and Butcher dive into the particulars of the ESA program in North Carolina and how it can be used with other choice options available to families in the Tar Heel state. They also discuss the decade-long history of ESAs and how more states appear willing to create the flexible spending option for families seeking additional choice in education. READ MORE
