JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The largest celebration of school choice in United States history kicks off Jan. 23 with a special event in Jacksonville.
National School Choice Week 2015 will kick off at Florida Theatre, the first of 11,082 independently planned and independently funded special events scheduled in all 50 states.
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Scheduled to attend the Jacksonville event are Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a longtime school choice supporter, Rev. HK Matthews, a noted civil rights pioneer who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King in Montgomery and Selma, Joe Trippi, Democratic strategist who managed Howard Dean's 2008 presidential campaign who is now a FOX news commentator, and Desmond Howard, a former college football and NFL player, winner of the 1991 Heisman Trophy, Super Bowl XXXI MVP and current ESPN commentator.
"Florida is a national leader in providing quality, effective education options for children," said Wendy Howard, former chairwoman of the Florida chapter of the National Coalition for Public School Options. "National School Choice Week provides an opportunity for the Sunshine State to demonstrate to the nation the basic but transformational message that school choice works."
The goal is to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for children, and to raise awareness of the importance of, and benefits of school choice in a variety of forms.
More than 1,900 students, parents, and teachers will attend the kickoff celebration, which will be nationally televised.
The event is centered around testimonials from students, parents, and teachers who benefit from an array of education options, including students and graduates from traditional public schools, public magnet schools, public charter schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling.