More than 1,000 students, parents rally in support of Louisiana Scholarship Program.

BATON ROUGE, La. (May 16, 2013)—The Louisiana Federation for Children, yesterday, joined with students and parents who rallied at Louisiana’s state capitol in support of the Louisiana Scholarship Program. A week ago, the Louisiana Supreme Court struck down the funding mechanism for the popular school choice program and the Louisiana Legislature is expected to vote on its funding within the next few weeks. At least 8,000 student scholarships are in jeopardy and without support from the legislature, these children will not be able to attend the school of their parents’ choice for the 2013-2014 school year.

Louisiana Supreme Court rules against existing funding mechanism

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2012) – The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, today urged the Louisiana Legislature and Governor to find a legislative solution after the Louisiana Supreme Court struck down the current funding mechanism for state’s voucher program. The Court only ruled against the funding of the voucher program and did not strike down the constitutionality of the program.

Nearly 8,000 students to attend school of their choice through voucher from the Louisiana Scholarship Program

Baton Rouge, La. (May 2, 2013) – The Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC) today celebrated an estimated sixty percent increase in the number of students who have the opportunity to attend the school of their choice through a voucher from the Louisiana Scholarship Program. Nearly 8,000 students have been offered scholarships to attend 128 participating schools across 32 parishes for the 2013-2014 school year – an increase of nearly 3,000 students from the current school year.

Louisiana Families Apply in Record Numbers for Scholarship Program

Nearly 12,000 families apply to participate in the second year of the state’s expanded educational choice program.

Baton Rouge, LA (March 27, 2013)—The Louisiana Federation for Children (LFC) today celebrated the record number of applications from families exercising their right to choose the best education for their child through the Louisiana Scholarship Program.  Nearly 12,000 parents across the state submitted their application to participate in the scholarship program, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Louisiana Department of Education. 

Recent survey shows more than 92 percent of parents are satisfied with the scholarship school of their choice

Baton Rouge, LA (March 19, 2013)—The Louisiana Federation for Children today celebrated the results of the 2013 Louisiana Scholarship Program Parental Satisfaction Survey. The direct mail survey, conducted in partnership with the Black Alliance for Educational Options, measured parental satisfaction with the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which allows eligible students to receive state scholarships to attend the participating private school of their choice.

According to the survey conducted in February 2013, an overwhelming majority—92.5 percent—of parents are either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their child’s scholarship school.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for educational choice—today expressed disappointment with a district court judge’s ruling that halts the funding mechanism for Louisiana’s statewide school voucher program.

The ruling from Judge Tim Kelley of the 19^th Judicial District said that while Louisiana’s constitution does allow for publicly-funded scholarships so children can attend private schools, the funding mechanism used to pay for scholarships is unconstitutional. Kelley’s ruling says that funding for the voucher program—which was expanded statewide in the spring by a bipartisan legislative vote—must not be funded by the state’s Minimum Foundation Program.

BATON ROUGE, LA (September 14, 2012)—Fewer children are trapped in underperforming schools this fall, after nearly 5,000 students accepted scholarships to participate in Louisiana’s statewide voucher program, representing one of the largest single-year enrollment increases in the history of voucher programs nationwide.
 
The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the enrollment figures, which were released Thursday by the state Department of Education, as a victory for Louisiana students and parents. In total, 4,944 students are participating in the program in the 2012-13 school year at 118 schools across the state.

Louisiana Federation of Teachers makes outlandish, groundless claims that Black Alliance for Educational Options “endorses teaching that the KKK is good”

BATON ROUGE, LA (August 30, 2012)—One of the largest teachers’ unions in Louisiana said in a statement early today that the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)—a national group committed to helping give low-income African American families access to high-quality educational choices—“endorses teaching that the KKK is good,” a baseless an unsubstantiated claim that represents a new low in their continued opposition to reforms that challenge the educational status quo.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice, and a strong and unwavering BAEO ally—strongly condemned the remarks from the Louisiana Federation for Teachers (LFT), which appeared in a message posted on the official LFT Twitter page early this morning. The message was followed up with dozens of additional Twitter messages doubling down on the racist remarks, making demeaning statements about BAEO and other education reform groups and individuals, and making false claims about the nature of the statewide voucher program, its supporters, and how it affects children and families.

New research shows significant increase in college enrollment for African American students

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 23, 2012)—A new study released today by researchers at the Brookings Institution and Harvard University shows that African American participants in a private school choice program were 24 percent more likely to enroll in college as a result of receiving a voucher, reinforcing previously-released data showing improved graduation rates, parental satisfaction, and academic achievement among voucher students.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the findings, which tracked voucher students in New York City over a nearly 15-year period. The research also shows that African American enrollment rates in selective colleges more than doubled among voucher students, and the rate of enrollment in full-time colleges increased by a remarkable 31 percent.

The Louisiana Supreme Court Wednesday denied an injunction request aimed at stopping the statewide school voucher program, the latest in a number of recent legal actions in favor of expanded educational opportunities for families.