Public School News and Notes

Office of Student Achivement Releases College Enrollment Study

For the first time, Georgians know how many high school graduates move on to enroll in college. 

On August 20th, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement released a report that tracks how many high school graduates move on to college and where they enroll. This is a first-of-its-kind study for Georgia.

In 2008, 64.7 percent of high school graduates moved on to a postsecondary institution, which includes all universities, colleges, and technical schools – in-state and out, public and private. That means that using the official 2008 state graduation rate (75.4 percent), 48.8 percent of high school seniors went on to enroll in a postsecondary institution in 2008.

The report also highlights the strong demand for an assortment of postsecondary options. Many graduates, especially in rural counties, went on to choose state technical colleges to continue their education. Georgia’s research universities and regional colleges and universities continue to be a major draw for students from all areas of the state.

To learn more, including information about your local school system, explore on the following links courtesy of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement:

Press Release
Full Report (Note: This is a very large file and may have an extended load time)
Class of 2008 School and System Results

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Private School Choice Issues

Save the Date!

You’re invited to a town hall meeting about school choice and education reform in Georgia on September 15, 2009 at 7:00pm. Attendees will hear from parents about what school choice means to them and policy experts from CEG will be on hand to answer questions about school choice and education reform. Join us in northern DeKalb County at:

Sophia Academy
2880 Dresden Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30341

This is a free event; however, please let us know if you plan on attending by contacting us at RSVP@educatedgeorgia.org. Complementary child care will be provided for the duration of the meeting, courtesy of Sophia Academy.


In Other News...

Parents – if you are interested in transferring your child to a different public or private school using the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship, you have until September 11, 2009 to file your parental intent form and enroll your child in the participating public or private school of your choice. You can find all the online forms and information, including a list of participating schools, at www.specialedoptions.com.

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For Homeschools

Rule May Inhibit Program Participation

Back in May, Governor Sonny Perdue signed SB 210 into law, making homeschoolers eligible to participate in the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) for the first time. However, regulators with the Department of Education may have made it difficult for homeschool students to be accepted into the program.

The new rule says, “All nominees from public schools and home schools shall be endorsed by the principal, counselor, local GHP coordinator and superintendent of the local school <br>system.”

By requiring homeschoolers to seek the approval of local public school officials, regulators have set up a potential barrier to entry into the program that is unnecessary. It would have been better to allow homeschool students to submit letters of reference from individuals that know them well in addition to their academic credentials.

CEG wants to hear from homeschoolers about this issue. Information about the 2010 Governor’s Honors Program will be released on September 9, 2009. If you know a homeschooler going through the application process, we want to hear from you.

Click here to contact us and tell us your story!

You can learn more about the Governor’s Honors Program by clicking here.

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Commentary

Bipartisanship in Washington, D.C.?
By David Pusey

The past few months have been stormy in our nation’s capital. Debates on the merits of “cap-and-trade” and especially health care reform have spilled over beyond the Beltway. Citizens who have never been politically active are attending town hall meetings across the country to talk about (and sometimes protest) the issues at hand. Rhetoric has been heated at times.

However, some bipartisanship has been sighted in The District.

Seems implausible, I know. But, like most good things in Washington, you have to look beyond the walls of the Capitol to find it. Take a stroll down Maryland Avenue, past the airplanes and spacecrafts in the National Air and Space Museum and the priceless works of art at the Freer Gallery, and you will see a monolithic, non-descript government building – the LBJ Department of Education building.

Last week it was the scene of quite a protest. But these were not your ordinary protesters. Children with hand drawn signs and ordinary parents chanted in support of an issue that is increasingly drawing bipartisan appeal – school choice.

The protesters were urging the White House and Congressional leaders to save the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which was created in 2004 as a way to help low-income students to transfer from their D.C. public school to a participating private school in the District. These scholarships, funded by federal taxpayers, have helped over 3,000 disadvantaged students access an education they never would have had. It is a program that studies have shown works – and it was shamefully defunded by Congress back in March.

But the families of students whose lives have forever been changed for the better by the program are speaking up. Friday’s protest was the latest in a series of public demonstrations urging the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders to allow poor parents to have the same educational choices as Washington’s more wealthy citizens do.

Public sentiment in D.C. aligns with the interests of these children, too. Nearly 75 percent of District residents support the school voucher program, and support for the program crosses party lines with 74 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Independents backing the program. In addition, 56 percent of residents indicated that they believe that more scholarships should be offered, and 68 percent of residents oppose Congress’ effort to end the program.

From the outset, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) have supported continuing the voucher program, as has City Council Chairman Vincent Gray (D). Congress and the Obama Administration are ignoring the people of Washington, D.C. and their elected leaders who know their community well.

But this is beginning to change. In July, former Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), and five others introduced a bill that would restore funding to and strengthen the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. In addition, a letter from Senator Lieberman, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), and others was sent to Secretary Arne Duncan urging the Administration to allow 216 students whose scholarships were revoked by the Department to enroll in the school of their parents’ choice.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, and its school choice cousins, the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship and Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship program here in Georgia, are important pieces of true education reform and are critical stepping stones to properly preparing our next generation. For the children’s sake, let’s hope bipartisanship will become the norm when it comes to education reform and that lawmakers will continue to pave the way for more school choice across the country.

David Pusey is the Education Policy Specialist at the Center for an Educated Georgia.  He can be contacted by email at david@educatedgeorgia.org or by phone at (678) 578-6067.

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