Note: This post first appeared on “Stepping Beyond the Scholarship.” Shaneka Paul struggled with a 2.0 grade point average her freshman year at Tampa Bay Christian Academy, but the 2015 graduate worked diligently with teachers to raise it to 3.1 her senior year – all while working two part-time jobs[Read More…]
Author: Sherri Ackerman
School choice scholarship put award-winning option within reach
Note: This post initially appeared on “Stepping Beyond the Scholarship.” Step Up For Students also hosts redefinED. It didn’t take long for Jenna Rogers to realize her son’s neighborhood school wasn’t working for him. A kindergartner at the time, Hayden Hernandez wasn’t grasping basic reading and writing skills. And he[Read More…]
School choice scholarship placed award-winning option within reach
This post first appeared on Step Up For Students’ “Stepping Beyond the Scholarship” blog. It didn’t take long for Jenna Rogers to realize her son’s neighborhood school wasn’t working for him. A kindergartner at the time, Hayden Hernandez wasn’t grasping basic reading and writing skills. And he didn’t like interacting[Read More…]
A ‘really special’ school, plus some extra help
Note: This student spotlight originally appeared on Step Up For Students’ “Stepping Beyond the Scholarship” blog. Step Up For Students is also host of redefinED. Liam Thomas has Down syndrome and benefits from weekly occupational and speech therapies. But the 9-year-old whirl of energy wants to do what other kids[Read More…]
Making academic progress at an ACE Academy
Shawnay Glenn’s neighborhood school seemed like a good fit as she began her formal education. Prekindergarten through first grade were good years for the little girl with the big smile, her mother recalled. But by second grade, there were signs of struggle. “We started getting called in for conferences,’’ Melody[Read More…]
School choice scholarship helped her get the support she needed
Of the 11 children Dorothy Stephenson has raised – two hers and the rest relatives – all but one attended Orange County public schools. “They did really well,” Dorothy said. “They all got their diplomas.” But niece Keyante Scott, diagnosed with a learning disability, couldn’t keep pace with her neighborhood[Read More…]
School choice scholarship helps family overcome tragedy
After a decade of their son using a Step Up For Students school choice scholarship, Lisa and Michael Schroeder wanted another student to benefit from the opportunity. So with their family-owned radio station back on solid ground, the couple decided not to reapply for the tuition assistance that helped keep[Read More…]
Thanks to school choice scholarship, “he’s where he needs to be”
When Julie Blue agreed to be a foster parent to brothers Logan and Mason, she knew she wanted to send them to a high-performing school. Blue attended a private elementary school as a child and later worked as a private school P.E. coach after a decade employed by Broward County[Read More…]