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On this episode, recent college graduate Jasmine Meriedy shares her inspiring journey as a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship recipient and advocate for high-quality education and healthcare. Discover how her experiences with small classrooms, dedicated nurses, and advocacy work shape her vision for future generations.
Jasmine Meriedy, who graduated from Southern University and A & M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship during her K-12 education. (Photo courtesy of Jasmine Meriedy) https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/riverside_magic_episode-01_next_steps.mp3Episode details:
- Jasmine's early diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and how that influenced her mother's choice of a private school
- The importance of smaller classroom sizes and attentive medical care
- How the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program impacted her education and family sacrifices
- Her experiences as a student athlete managing diabetes
- Advocacy work, including testifying before Congress on insulin costs and her involvement with the American Federation for Children
- The significance of equitable access to tailored education and medical support
- Advice to families in states without education choice options
- The upcoming federal scholarship tax credit program and its potential benefits
- Jasmine's plans to pursue a sports photography career and empower women in sports
Jasmine Meriedy was diagnosed as a baby with Type 1 diabetes. A Florida Tax Credit Scholarship made it possible for her mother to choose a private school with small class sizes that could best meet her health and academic needs. (Photo courtesy of Jasmine Meriedy) Resources & Links:
- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF congressional advocacy)
- American Federation for Children
- Step Up for Students
Connect with Jasmine:
The post PodcastED: Alum kicks off the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program's 25th anniversary with ed choice success story appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
For years, critics of education choice have been saying it will unleash an educational apocalypse in Florida. But what’s unfolding isn’t an apocalypse. It’s a renaissance.
“For 25 years we’ve been hearing that the sky’s going to fall,” said Ron Matus, director of research and special projects at Step Up For Students, the nation’s largest education choice scholarship funding organization, which manages 98% of Florida’s K-12 programs. “They have said forever that school choice was going to ruin everything, and instead the exact opposite has happened.”
Matus made his comments when he recently sat down with Ginny Gentles at the Defense of Freedom Institute to share the Florida story and discuss the Sunshine State’s historic influence on family-driven education choice.
.Known for raising purebred, all-natural, and organic Wagyu beef, WagyuMama Ranch also offers a homeschool program.The podcast covers everything from teacher entrepreneurs to à la carte learning to innovative options springing up in rural areas, where many opponents say choice can’t succeed. Matus also cited several schools and providers as examples of thriving innovation happening across the state.
“I think people have these really searing images of Florida in their head. They’ll think of Miami and Orlando and Disney or think about the beaches but don’t realize that between all that there are vast stretches of heartland. There are amazing choice schools throughout all of that.”
When it comes to education, Matus said, surveys show many families want the same basic things, such as safety, academic rigor, and character-building instruction that can be faith-based or secular.
“After that, there are a million different things they want slightly different,” he said. “They may want old-school school — they don’t want any bells and whistles. Others may want a forest school or an outdoor school. That’s where pluralism should come into play.”
All of these are possible in Florida, Matus said, thanks to robust policies that empower families. “In every possible way, public education in Florida has gotten better. So many people did the right thing and moved the ball down the field to build a system where parents have the power to determine the best education for their kids.”
The post Step Up For Students’ Ron Matus shares Florida success story on Defense of Freedom Institute’s Freedom to Learn podcast appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
For a glimpse into the future of public education, visit Florida.
Nearly three years after landmark legislation gave Sunshine State families the flexibility to choose from an expanding number of learning options, 75% of its 67 school districts now offer a la carte services.
In a recent Johns Hopkins University Homeschool Research Lab podcast, Keith Jacobs, director of provider development at Step Up For Students, explained how putting parents in control of their children’s education dollars is changing the way Florida students learn.
Keith Jacobs, director of provider development for Step Up For Students“In every major service offered in human experience, the need for customer service is evident,” said Jacobs, a former public school teacher and administrator. “So, when you’re talking about education, we’ve gone from government-sponsored, government-funded within the public school sector to now families being empowered with the money and the opportunity and the knowledge to make a decision on which a la carte model they feel is most valuable for their child. It’s no longer, ‘I have to go to my neighborhood public school based on the ZIP code we live in.’ They want that level of customization.”
Last year, roughly 80,000 students were funded in the Personalized Education Program, which allows parents to design customized learning for their children who are not enrolled full time in public or private schools. Another scholarship, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, allows parents the choice between full-time private school or customized homeschool plans. Last year, about half of the more than 150,000 students who participated in the
UA option chose homeschooling.
“There are many different ways for families to experience homeschool education in Florida,” Jacobs told host Christy Batts, a senior research data analyst at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Institute for Education Policy.
Jacobs has spent nearly two years helping school districts expand learning options for students who receive funding through education savings accounts. These accounts allow parents to use funds for tuition, curriculum, therapies, and other pre-approved educational expenses. That includes services by approved district and charter schools.
Data Source: Step Up For Students, May 2026 Jacobs said 51 of the state’s 67 public school districts have agreed to offer some form of unbundled services. Those can be in-person or virtual, core classes or extracurricular activities.
Jacobs sees the fact that more than 50% of families in Florida exercise some form of choice as a big motivator for school districts to innovate. When it comes to developing their own offerings, Jacobs said his team at Step Up lets district leaders take the lead.
“We try to meet them where they are,” he said.
The post More Florida districts take the lead in developing learning options for part-time public school students appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
On this episode, senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Nina Rees, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Founded in 2005, the alliance’s stated mission is to ensure all children have access to a high-quality public education regardless of their ZIP code.
Rees discusses the recent study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, also known as CREDO, that showed over time, charter schools outperformed district-run schools in their communities and narrowed the achievement gap.
“If there was ever a doubt as to the effectiveness of charter schools, in their ability to close the achievement gap, this study definitely proves that gap can be closed and it’s just a matter of doubling down and investing more in building these great schools in more places.”
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PEDNinaReesPodcast.mp3Rees also discussed Oklahoma’s recent approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, which, if it survives
Nina Reesa court challenge, would be the nation’s first religious charter school.
Rees’ organization issued a statement disagreeing with the decision, arguing that the law has established that charter schools are public schools therefore required to operate as secular institutions. A coalition that includes Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Education Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging the virtual charter school, which is set to open in 2024.
Episode details:
- How charter school authorizers’ focus on performance led to better education outcomes
- Why differences between Florida’s and New York’s education choice options make the Sunshine State stronger despite more modest gains cited in the CREDO charter study
- Why diversity among school founders will allow the charter school movement to remain intact despite the controversy and legal battle surrounding Oklahoma’s approval of a religious charter school
The post podcastED: National charter school movement leader talks about charter performance and Oklahoma’s approval of a religious charter school appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
St. Isidore of Seville is the patron saint of technology and the internet.On this episode, senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma.
Founded in 2017 by Oklahoma’s Catholic bishops, the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma serves as the official voice of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma on matters of public policy. The Conference operates at the intersection of faith and politics.
Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of OklahomaFarley has served as the primary spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Diocese of Tulsa as the two organizations applied to open St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School. Named for the patron saint of the internet and technology, St. Isidore made history on June 5 when the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved it by a 3-2 vote as the nation’s first religious charter school. The decision is expected to result in litigation, as supporters and opponents each threatened a court challenge depending on the outcome.
Farley offers some background about the reasons and purpose of a Catholic virtual charter school. He also offers an argument for why such a school passes constitutional muster.
“In the context of a private virtual school, we would still have to charge tuition, and that becomes, for some folks, a non-starter. They simply can’t afford anything. But secondarily by partnering with the state, again, it opens up all kinds of possibilities that a tuition-based program wouldn’t be able to afford. That’s one of the primary features of a charter program is that the state’s going to fund innovation.”
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PEDBrettFarleyPodcast.mp3Please note: Since this podcast was recorded, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a decision from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Charter Day School v. Peltier, a North Carolina dress code case in which one charter school argued that it is a private actor. The court’s refusal to hear the case was hailed as a win by many charter school advocates, who argue charter schools are public. But it leaves the constitutional status of overtly religious charter schools in limbo.
Episode Details:
- The Catholic Church’s commitment to education choice
- How a virtual school could help the church could offer more educational options to students in rural areas of Oklahoma
- Why Catholic leaders thought it made more sense to start a religious charter school instead of a virtual private school
- The three recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that led church leaders to consider establishing the nation’s first faith-based charter school
- Why church leaders think a faith-based charter school would constitutional muster
- Responses to opponents’ arguments that charter schools are public schools and that if approved, faith-based schools would have to sacrifice their religious values
The post podcastED: Advocate says nation’s first religious charter school will fill important niche appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Sue Luther of Largo, Florida, a former private school teacher and single parent of two military-dependent sons. Both boys have received state K-12 scholarships over the years.
Her older son, Alexander, 15, was diagnosed at age 2 with severe autism spectrum disorder and currently receives the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities. His younger brother, Miles, 13, attends a charter school. The different uses of education choice earn Luther and her kids the title “multiple choice family.”
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/PEDSueLutherPodcast.mp3Luther discusses how she felt after Alexander, at the time a third grader, qualified for what was then the Gardiner Scholarship and how it helped her design a customized plan at home for him and later allowed her to send him to a private school for students with autism.
As a sibling, Miles qualified for what was then an income-based scholarship. Luther used it to pay private school tuition until Miles began attending a charter school, which, though privately run, is publicly funded. Florida law classifies charter schools as public schools.
Luther loved what the private specialty school offered Alexander, but as a single parent, she will not be able to cover the difference between tuition and what the scholarship pays next year. So, she plans to use scholarship for a customized home-based program.
“It helps you have accessibility to so many resources, and it covers so many of the expenses that it takes to homeschool your kid. With technology nowadays, you have to have laptops and computers and cell phones, or tablets of some kind to help them. And it really helps to cover those things so that you feel like you’re still giving your child the best opportunity to learn, just like their peers.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- How Luther has used previous scholarship funds to design a learning plan for Alexander
- How this military family’s frequent moves affected their children’s education over the years
- How the MyScholarShopProgram allowed Luther to easily make pre-approved online purchases necessary for her son’s education
- How a charter school was a better fit than a private school for her younger son
The post podcastED: ‘Multiple choice’ Florida mom grateful for K-12 scholarship, robust education choice laws appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
A new offering from Florida Virtual School, Artificial Intelligence in the World, will guide students through the concepts, tools, and building blocks of artificial intelligence and provide them with a broad overview of how AI is used in decision-making and problem-solving worldwide.On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Amy Heflin, senior manager for STEM curriculum at Florida Virtual School. Heflin discusses a new high school course program in artificial intelligence and how it will offer students a foundational knowledge of AI and its applications.
Her interview comes a day after FLVS, the nation’s first statewide internet-based virtual school, unveiled its first course, AI in the World, which is part of a progression of industry-focused classes that also include courses in hospitality and entrepreneurship.
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PEDAmyHeflinPodcast.mp3Amy Heflin“We try to impress upon students that studying AI requires analytical, critical thinking skills, things that we use on a daily basis, and that can be useful in any field. Learning about AI will help students develop their problem-solving abilities. They’ll become better equipped to handle complex issues.”
EPIDOSE DETAILS:
Topics and hands-on activities covered in the course
The types of students for whom the course is designed
The role that University of Florida faculty members played in developing the curriculum
How the course fits into FLVS’s overall computer science program, which includes a new AP computer science principles course
Heflin’s desire to help students embrace AI rather than fear it
A sneak peek at the next AI course, Applications for Artificial Intelligence
RELEVANT LINKS:
Florida Department of Education among first to adopt K-12 AI education program
FLVS.net
The post podcastED: Florida Virtual School manager hopes new courses will teach students to embrace AI appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
Rachel Hayon Sabbah, at the lectern, was among advocates who spoke in favor of HB1 in March, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, far right, signed the historic legislation into law.On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Rachel Hayon Sabbah, a nurse and mother of four daughters, including two who receive the Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities. Her eldest daughter, Elisheva, 8, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and younger daughter Ahavah, 4, has experienced speech delays.
Hayon Sabbah, who lives in Ft. Lauderdale, spoke at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of HB 1, which expanded scholarship eligibility to all Florida students and converted all traditional scholarships to education savings accounts. The legislation also allowed the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities to expand its annual growth rate from 1% to 3% of the state’s total exceptional student education population, excluding gifted students, to eliminate the need for waitlists.
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PEDRachelHayonSabbahPodcast.mp3Rachel Hayon Sabbah and three of her four daughtersAhavah, who was on the waitlist, recently was awarded a scholarship and will start voluntary pre-kindergarten next year.
“(The scholarship program) has been really, really helpful in terms of just allowing us at this time to pay for private school tuition. Both of our girls are in Jewish private schools here in South Florida, and it’s made it a much easier decision to homeschool our daughter next year because the funding can be used toward educational expenses.”
Episode Details:
- How Elisheva’s diagnosis makes it difficult for her to learn in traditional school
- How the family had been sacrificing to afford private school before receiving the scholarship
- How Teach Florida has raised awareness about the scholarship programs and helped Hayon Sabbah apply
- How the scholarship and its education savings account will allow Elisheva to be homeschooled next year
- How Sayon Sabbah will use some of Ahavah’s funds to provide speech therapy
Relevant Links:
Teach Florida
Florida Department of Education Family Empowerment Scholarships for students with Unique Abilities FAQ
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ADHD page
The post podcastED: Florida scholarship mom delighted with end to waitlist for children with unique abilities appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
Diana Diaz-Harrison and her son, SammyOn this episode, senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Diana Diaz-Harrison, a former teacher, television journalist and founder at Arizona Autism Charter School in Phoenix, the Southwest region’s only tuition-free school specializing in best practices for students who are on the autism spectrum.
Diaz-Harrison started the school in 2014 after her son, Sammy, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2, began attending kindergarten. The arrangement wasn’t working well for Sammy and others who have ASD, she explains, noting that while federal law requires that exceptional students receive “free and appropriate” education in district schools, it’s no guarantee it will be the best education.
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PEDDianaDiaz-HarrisonPodcast.mp3“I think that the stigma that is associated with an autism diagnosis, it’s kind of fading … people don’t think of it as a death sentence anymore. We are offering so much hope, along with other agencies in the community, that children with autism can learn. They can thrive.”
Sammy attended a private program for a couple of years, and while that was a better environment, the costs were not sustainable. Private programs can cost $40,000 to $50,000 per year.
So, she and other parents opened Arizona Autism Center with 90 students with the mission of using best practices such as applied behavior analysis. The school now serves 700 students on four campuses, including a high school and a virtual program. Another high school will open in Tucson this fall.
The founders’ efforts were rewarded last year when the school took the top $1 million award in the Yass Prize competition, which seeks to recognize and aid education programs that are “sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless.”
In seeking to replicate its model, the school partnered with South Florida Autism Charter School in Miami-Dade County to start a National Autism Charter School Accelerator with the goal of getting at least one autism-focused charter in every state.
EPISODE DETAILS:
- How Diaz-Harrison was inspired to start an autism-focused school
- Why she chose a charter school model in a state with a strong education choice scholarship program
- How she used her broadcast background to raise awareness
- What Arizona Autism Charter School provides in the way of educational best practices
- The Florida connection to Diaz-Harrison’s expansion plans
- How Arizona Charter Autism School plans to use its $1 million Yass Prize
RELEVANT LINKS:
Arizona Autism Charter School
Yass Prize
South Florida Autism Charter School
Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis
CDC Community Report on Autism
The post podcastED: Founder of Arizona charter school for children with autism seeks to take model national appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Doug Tuthill and Amy Graham of Step Up For Students, the nation’s largest K-12 education choice scholarship funding organization. Tuthill is president of Step Up, and Graham is vice president of policy, innovation and empowerment for the Florida-based organization. Step Up For Students administers most of the education choice scholarships in Florida and hosts this blog.
“The fantastic thing about (education savings accounts) is they’re very flexible, and we’re all about customization. And this whole ed choice movement is about giving families more flexibility to be able to customize an education for their child. And I think the ESA piece, as well as universal eligibility, are really game changers.” – Doug Tuthill, president, Step Up For Students
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PEDHB1Podcast.mp3Tuthill offers an overview of the 40-year history of education choice in the Sunshine State and how district magnet schools gave rise to more options such as charter schools, virtual schools and scholarship programs that allowed parents to decide the best learning environment for their children. Tuthill also discusses the details of the newly signed law HB 1 and how the conversion of traditional scholarship to education savings accounts will give families even greater flexibility in customizing their children’s education. He also clears up misinformation about the expanded program regarding eligibility, costs and equal opportunity. Tuthill also talks about how HB 1 will open up opportunities for educators to start their own innovative programs, further expanding options for students.
Graham discusses regulatory accountability and guardrails built into the bill as well as a new personalized education plan classification for homeschool families who choose to use state funds to completely customize their child’s education. (The law exempts homeschool families who do not wish to accept state funds from certain accountability rules that apply to those in the personalized education program.)
Graham offers details on the new purchasing guide under development that will list pre-approved goods and services to make it easier for families to manage their funds. She also discusses how HB 1 will simplify the evaluation process for non-public school students to qualify for funding through the state’s education savings account program for students with unique abilities. That program also received expanded funding through HB 1 to eliminate a wait list.
Graham also outlines how HB 1 is intended to aid school districts by providing relief from some of their most burdensome regulations so district schools can be competitive options.
EPISODE DETAILS:
- A brief history of education choice in the Sunshine State
- What makes HB 1 one of the most transformative laws in Florida’s public education history
- The difference between universal eligibility and universal access
- Straight talk about the actual costs of HB 1 and how the state’s budget laws prevent out-of-control spending
- Accountability and guardrails in HB 1
- Details about the personalized education program classification and how it opens up more customization options
- The new purchasing guide for parents
- How HB 1 expands opportunities for educators to start their own programs
- How HB 1 will make it easier for district schools to compete amid all the diverse options
RELEVANT LINKS:
Final version of HB 1
https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/fes/
https://www.stepupforstudents.org/
The post podcastED: Step Up For Students top leaders discuss how Florida’s HB 1 will transform education choice in the Sunshine State through flexibility appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
Aimee Uriarte and her two sons, 15-year-old Alejandro, left, and 17-year-old Sebastian, right.On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Aimée Uriarte, a single parent whose two sons attend Christopher Columbus High School, an all-male Catholic school in Miami.
Older son Sebastian, 17, receives a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, while his brother, Alejandro, 15, attends on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities.
A Costa Rica native, Uriarte moved to the United States but left in 2008 due to the Great Recession. One of the reasons she returned to Florida was to ensure her children received opportunities for an education that best fit their needs. Columbus High fills that bill and more, she said.
Uriarte, who was among the scholarship beneficiaries who spoke during the recent signing ceremony for HB1, a major education choice expansion bill, said she looks forward to the additional flexibility the legislation will bring to her family and others.
“The Columbus staff has come through, truly as a family, I never expected this compassion regarding our family’s reality. Every family has different struggles … they are very hands on, all of them, and they’re very concerned about the wellbeing of each family.”
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PEDAimeeUriartePodcast.mp3EPISODE DETAILS:
- The financial sacrifices Uriarte made to send her children to private schools while in Costa Rica
- Her reasons for moving back to Florida
- Her younger son’s diagnosis of attention deficit disorder and how he qualified for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities, which allowed him to leave his district middle school and join his brother at Christopher Columbus High in ninth grade
- The opportunities provided to the boys through involvement in the school’s daily news broadcast
- How members of the school staff have served as positive role models for the boys
- How the new education savings account format for all scholarships will make certain therapies more affordable for both children and benefit all Florida families
RELEVANT LINKS:
https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/fes/
The post podcastED: South Florida mom welcomes education savings account flexibility for two sons appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
Katie Switzer of West VirginiaOn this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Katie Switzer, a soon-to-be-mother of five who played a key role in helping overturn a court ruling that shut down West Virginia’s new Hope Scholarship program about a month before schools were set to re-open for the 2022-23 academic year.
Switzer, founder of a part-time forest school for families, and another parent were intervenors in the appeal of the circuit judge’s ruling. They were represented by the Institute for Justice, a national non-profit public interest law firm that supports giving parents the opportunity to choose the best educational fit for their children.
In January, the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy honored Switzer as its Advocate of the Year for education choice.
“My dream is not to get rid of public schools. I don’t think that’s the answer. I think the answer is just to change the system so that we can give public schools flexibility so they don’t have to be these big, one-size-fits-all classrooms and these huge buildings and kids who have ADHD and don’t fit in get lost because they don’t want to deal with them.”
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PEDKatieSwitzerPodcast.mp3Switzer talks about her own experience in public schools in New York, which she described as “middle of the pack” in terms of quality metrics. She says how she was shocked to learn after moving to Morgantown, W. Va., that her children’s school district, which was ranked third in the state, delivered results that were worse than the middling schools she attended.
Switzer also shares the story of her second child, Ruth, who has apraxia of speech and dyslexia, benefited from therapies that she can now use Hope Scholarship funds to pay for. She also recalls the day that the circuit judge granted a permanent injunction shutting down the Hope Scholarship program and the “chaos” that resulted from families who were left scrambling for alternatives with about a month before classes were set to resume.
She recalls the fear she felt about having her name on the appeal and how she refused to let her kids attend their local public schools during that time to avoid any possible retribution from Hope opponents. Switzer also shares her emotions upon hearing about a victory at the West Virginia Supreme Court and how she can use the funds to customize her school-age children’s education.
An entrepreneur herself, Switzer talks about establishment of her forest school for young children and their parents to learn about science and nature.
EPISODE DETAILS:
- Switzer’s district school and how it compares with her children’s zoned district schools in Morgantown, W.Va.
- How education choice opponents behaved during a charter school meeting for parents
- Her reactions to a judge’s shutdown of the Hope Scholarship program
- Switzer’s decision to be an appellant during the successful effort to overturn the shutdown of the Hope Scholarship education savings account program
- How her school-age children are benefiting now that the Hope Scholarship program has been allowed to resume
- How Switzer’s Monogalia Forest School grew from 13 families to more than 60 in about two years
- Switzer’s vision for the role district schools play in education choice
RELEVANT LINKS:
https://www.hopescholarshipwv.com/
https://monforestschool.org/
https://ij.org/press-release/west-virginia-supreme-court-issues-full-ruling-upholding-hope-scholarship-program/
The post podcastED: W.Va. mom takes bold stand to help save education choice for families in Mountain State appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
New Hampshire education choice advocates rally at a National School Choice Week event in January.On this episode, Tuthill interviews Demers, who started the Children’s Scholarship Fund in New Hampshire, and has worked tirelessly as its executive director for the establishment of a tax credit scholarship fund in 2012 and Education Freedom Accounts, which lawmakers approved in 2021. Both are open to families whose incomes fall at or below 300% of the federal poverty level.
“I have the opportunity to talk to the families that participate in our children’s scholarship fund programs every day. And so first and foremost, they are the ones that drive these programs into being and I think I see myself as a messenger for the families in New Hampshire.”
Demers offers an overview of each program and recalls how she went from a successful businesswoman and charter school board member to the founder of a nonprofit organization that expanded education choice opportunities for families and fended off legal challenges from opponents.
She also shares details of growing up in a lower-income neighborhood and how that inspired her to help others who are in similar circumstances. Demers shares her advice with those in others seeking to establish or expand choice programs in hostile climates.
https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PEDKateBakerDemersPodcast.mp3EPISIDE DETAILS:
- Demers’ early career and transition to education choice advocate
- The history of New Hampshire’s education choice scholarship programs
- The changing demographics of New Hampshire and effects of the changes on K-12 education
- How the tax credit scholarship works with Education Freedom Fund accounts to provide families with school options and customization
- The keys to successful education choice advocacy
- How education savings accounts can offer success to traditional schools by allowing them to provide unbundled services
The post podcastED: Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill talks with New Hampshire education choice pioneer Kate Baker Demers appeared first on NextSteps: Step Up For Students.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie hosts Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill and Heidie Nesset, Step Up’s director of platform operations, for a discussion on the vital role that infrastructure plays in expanding education choice on a large scale so that it will be accessible to[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Melody Bolduc, a homeschooling mother of two daughters and founder of KEYS Educational Resource Center, a faith-based tutoring center for homeschoolers in Jacksonville, Florida. Bolduc says how she wanted to be a teacher as early as first grade, when she[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Ashley Guerra, a New Mexico parent who for years has customized the education of her two children, Caden, 12, and Emma, 10. New Mexico, while offering robust public school choice, does not have a private school choice option. Guerra and[Read More...]
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On this episode, ReimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Jessica Strong, a sixth-grade English language arts teacher at Florida Virtual School, who recently received the Ron Nieto Digital Educator of the Year Award for 2022. Named in memory of Nieto, who served as Florida’s first deputy commissioner of innovation,[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Nicole Bradica, a mother of five ranging in age from 14 to 2 years old. The family lives in Chuluota, Florida, a small town of 2,532 residents near Orlando. Bradica, who has been homeschooling her children for 11 years, this[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Emily Hayes, a Florida mother of three children who benefit from the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities. Hayes discusses how the family has been able to use the funds for many different things, supporting her children’s needs[Read More...]
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Editor’s note: You can read more about Optima Classical Academy here. On this episode, Tuthill interviews former Collier County School Board member Donalds, who is president and CEO of the Optima Foundation, a network of charter schools serving more than 3,000 students. The organization is set to launch Optima Classical Academy[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Bob Luddy, founder and president of CaptiveAire, a commercial ventilation system company in the Raleigh, N.C. area, and founder of several schools. The latest of these, Thales Academy, which Luddy started in 2007 in the CaptiveAire corporate office, enrolls 5,800[Read More...]
The post podcastED: North Carolina entrepreneur offers affordable private education through network of classical schools in multiple states appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Sherry White, a former district middle school teacher who taught near Ocala and now homeschools her 16-year-old daughter, Eilise. Born with autism and other medical conditions, Elise needed traditional physical and occupational therapies, but each session caused tantrums and screaming.[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Florida mom credits education choice scholarship with helping daughter overcome learning challenges appeared first on reimaginED.
Editor’s note: To read Tuthill’s analysis of DeVos’ book, click here. On this episode, Tuthill interviews DeVos, encouraging her to talk about her new book, “Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child.” DeVos discusses how when reflecting on her time in Washington[Read More...]
The post podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill speaks with former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Shawn Peterson, president of Catholic Education Partners, a nonprofit organization based in the Minnesota Twin Cities area. A former staff member in the Minnesota Legislature who worked for two Minnesota governors, Peterson talks about growing up in various learning environments,[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Catholic Education Partners president discusses parental choice and how education savings accounts represent the next wave appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Shawn McCormick, a Florida law enforcement officer, husband, and father of four. McCormick’s children became eligible for a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options after the passage of House Bill 3, which extended eligibility to law enforcement families regardless of[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Caroline Tevlin, an elementary school Spanish teacher who customizes her students’ education by tapping into their individual learning styles. Tevlin transitioned to teaching online after working in a traditional school setting for six years. Four years into her experience at[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Florida Virtual School teacher innovates to help students master world language instruction appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Tina Riffe, whose daughter, Vivian, 15, attends Grace Christian School in the Tampa Bay area on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Education Options. Riffe’s father served in the U.S. Navy. Her husband, Danny, a first-class petty officer, joined the Navy[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Florida mom expresses gratitude for state scholarship expansion to students in military families appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Michael Bonick, an elementary teacher and guitar player at Florida Virtual School, who engages students by incorporating music in core academic subjects. A teacher for 22 years, Bonick’s interest in music blossomed when his father suggested that he play the[Read More...]
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Editor’s note: Caleb Prewitt has participated in six triathlons and started a cooking show on YouTube. You can get Caleb’s favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies here. On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Karen Prewitt, whose son, Caleb, 15, is benefitting from a change in Florida[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Nick West, a Mobile, Alabama, resident who works for Siemens Digital Industries and is pursuing a doctorate at Purdue University. West, who attended private elementary and secondary schools, talks about how the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship program made it possible for[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Software engineer shares how Alabama school choice scholarship helped him achieve success in education and life appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Tuthill talks with Marty Leuken, co-author of a new study on the spending habits of families that use Florida’s education savings account program for students with unique abilities. Leuken’s research shows that the longer families participate in the program, the greater they diversify their spending on items[Read More...]
The post podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews EdChoice director on how families use education savings accounts appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill and Legislative Affairs Manager Alexis Laroe discuss the changes coming to education choice programs in Florida following the 2022 legislative session in Tallahassee. The education budget passed by the legislature this year is the largest in the history of the[Read More...]
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On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Simone Arnold, whose son, Ayden, is a bouncy 8-year-old who excels at math and spelling. He attends Phyl’s Academy Preparatory School, a faith-based private school in the South Florida community of Margate near Fort Lauderdale. Arnold shares about the challenges[Read More...]
The post podcastED: Scholarship mom shares how Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship is helping her son maximize his unique abilities appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Tuthill and Bush look back at the 20-year history of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program and the education revolution that was launched with Bush’s A+ Plan, signed into law in June 1999 with the goal of toughening standards for teachers, students and schools. The most controversial[Read More...]
The post podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on the future of education choice appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Tuthill speaks with Denisha Merriweather, founder of Black Minds Matter and director of public relations and content marketing at the American Federation for Children, and Ron Matus, director of policy and public affairs at Step Up For Students, about their new report, Controlling the Narrative: Parental Choice,[Read More...]
The post podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews co-authors of paper that explores Black education choice boom in Florida appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Renè Field, a mother of four who moved her family from Colorado to Florida in 2020 to find an alternative to pandemic-induced remote learning that was making her two school-aged sons “miserable.” Field discusses how Colorado’s rules were too restrictive[Read More...]
The post podcastED: How one family traded remote learning at Colorado’s closed-down schools for Florida’s education freedom appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Ladner and Bedrick discuss Bedrick’s new report, Who’s Afraid of School Choice? The report investigates the frequently intense and dramatic rhetoric used by education choice opponents dating to the 1990s and examines its validity, pondering the question: Has education choice “destroyed public education” as opponents claim?
Offering proof that these claims are baseless, Ladner and Bedrick discuss academic performance in states with established choice proliferation, demonstrating that a rising tide lifts all boats and that choice expansion tends to coincide with improved outcomes in traditional school districts.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LadnerBedrickDec2021_EDIT.mp3 “What actually happens in these states? Is it true public schools end up defunded and you have this catastrophic effect on its performance? In fact, the answer is no, not even close … Clearly these claims are ‘Chicken Little’ claims.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- The study’s compilation of four decades of alarmist choice rhetoric including some of the more outlandish and dramatic claims
- How 25 of 28 studies of choice programs demonstrate a positive impact on traditional school districts
- Positive NAEP and AP scores in states with expansive choice options
- How education choice provides an incentive for district schools to improve
The post podcastED: reimaginED executive editor Matt Ladner interviews EdChoice’s Jason Bedrick appeared first on reimaginED.
In the first in a series of conversations about education-related outcomes of the 2022 Florida legislative session, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie hosted Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill and chief operating officer Gina Lynch in a discussion about the surge in applications since the passage of last year’s landmark education choice bill; challenges with implementing the legislation; and improvement opportunities that can further benefit families and schools.
Tuthill and Lynch discussed how 2021’s HB 7045 changed the state’s education choice landscape by consolidating the Gardiner Scholarship program and folding it into the Family Empowerment Scholarship, resulting in a 16% enrollment increase for the income-based scholarship and a 37% increase for the unique abilities scholarship.
“Imagine having a child with (unique needs) … You’re fighting to find the best place for your child … but because of an arbitrary cap, your child is left behind. That seems unconscionable; we should be committed … to making sure every family has equal opportunity to meet their children’s needs.”
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LegislativeRoundtableJan2022_EDIT.mp3 EPISODE DETAILS:
- How passage of HB 7045 resulted in an application explosion across all scholarship programs
- Program caps and the delicate balancing act of ensuring as many students as possible are funded without creating wait lists
- Issues surrounding cross-checking student enrollment in district schools and opportunities for policy improvement
- Simplifying the attendance verification process for schools so families can receive timely funding
- Building infrastructure to accommodate more students using education savings accounts
The post Florida legislative roundtable: What to expect this session appeared first on reimaginED.
Editor’s note: reimaginED is proud to reintroduce to our readers our best content of 2021. This podcast from senior writer Lisa Buie originally published on July 27.
On this episode, redefinED senior writer Lisa Buie speaks with the single mother of a 9-year-old and teacher of English language learners at an Orlando district high school. Echevarria, who cares for her parents in her home, earns a salary that, though modest, put her just over the income threshold for eligibility for an income-based school choice scholarship.
Echevarria talks about the reasons for sending her son, Eddie Joe, to a Catholic school, about her employer’s response to that decision, and the financial sacrifices she’s had to make to afford her son’s education without a scholarship. She also shares Eddie Joe’s reaction when he learned of the passage of HB 7045, which expanded eligibility to families at higher income levels.
Echevarria and Eddie Joe were invited to speak at one of two bill signing ceremonies where they met Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as the lawmakers who supported the bill. You can watch a video of Echevarria expressing her gratitude here.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/MarieLisa_EDIT.mp3 “He started crying for joy, he started jumping. He said, ‘Mama, you can buy me ice cream with sprinkles!’ He was ecstatic.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- Why Echevarria decided to send her son to private school
- How their Catholic school provided her with support as a single mom
- Personal sacrifices Echevarria had to make to afford her son’s tuition
- How a change in the law governing state scholarships will benefit her family and others across Florida
The post Best of 2021: Interview with district schoolteacher, private school mom Marie Echevarria appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Ladner and Tuthill discuss Ladner’s recently published white paper for the Arizona Charter School Association on issues facing the traditional “yellow school bus” public education transportation system in Arizona and nationwide.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DougLadner_TransportEDIT.mp3 Ladner observes that traditional ridership already was in decline, but the COVID-19 pandemic created a huge demand for drivers with commercial driver’s licenses as the demand for delivered services exploded, making the situation worse. As school districts face an increasing driver shortage, Ladner and Tuthill discuss creative solutions such as aligning municipal bus services to serve student populations, creating financial incentives for carpooling, ride sharing, and more.
“If you’re a family without a car or if your schedule doesn’t align … other options are going to be tantalizingly out of your reach … This leaves us in a situation where we need to figure out every way possible to get kids to school that does not involve CDL license-holders. This will be a big spur for transportation innovation.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
The precipitous decline of the “yellow school bus” transportation system
How the COVID-19 pandemic led to a demand surge for commercial drivers
How the lack of school transportation access and options has created equity issues for families
How “flooding the zone” with school options such as charters and microschools can create greater transportation opportunities
LINKS MENTIONED:
The Case for Improving Equity Through the Modernization of Arizona’s K-12 Transportation (White paper)
The post podcastED: reimaginED executive editor Matt Ladner and Step Up for Students president Doug Tuthill discuss modernizing public education transportation appeared first on reimaginED.
On this episode, Ladner speaks with the director of national research at EdChoice about the latter’s new report entitled, “The Accountability Myth.” The report takes aim at the commonly argued position that traditional public schools are a superior education option because they are held financially, democratically, and educationally accountable to the public.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/LadnerMcShane_EDIT.mp3 McShane argues that the public education system suffers from a lack of accountability by those three measures: They are not financially accountable due in part to opaque school spending formulas that make data difficult to obtain; they are not democratically accountable due to institutional bureaucratic dysfunction and off-cycle school board elections; and they are not educationally accountable due to a lack of consequences when the system delivers low-performing results for many students.
Ladner and McShane discuss potential reforms that could help improve accountability in public education.
“We’re always going to argue about education – as long as we’ve had recorded thoughts, it’s been people arguing about how to raise kids. There’s no system getting rid of that … We should talk about what schools teach and how they teach it. But there are ways to channel it to more productive ends.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- How school systems make it difficult to track funding and school spending
- How off-cycle school board elections make it possible for special interest groups to control democratic positions with low voter turnout
- The problem of poor educational outcomes for large numbers of students and the lack of accountability measures levied on schools that fail to deliver
- How education choice can help create better accountability in the public education market
The post podcastED: reimaginED executive editor Matt Ladner and EdChoice’s Mike McShane discuss public education’s accountability myths appeared first on reimaginED.
Megan and Jameson Luten and their children, Patrick, Ellie and Julia On this episode, reimaginED Senior Writer Lisa Buie talks with Megan Luten, a mother of three from Jacksonville, Florida, whose 5-year-old daughter, Ellie, attends Catholic kindergarten thanks to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Education Options scholarship.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Lisa_MeganLuten_EDIT.mp3 Luten, a speech therapist, discusses the search she and her husband, Jameson, a registered nurse, undertook to find the right educational option for Ellie, who, like a many young children, gets a little anxious at times.
After looking at traditional district, charter, and private schools, they decided that Holy Family Catholic School was the best environment for their daughter to start her formal education.
“We found out this summer that thanks to the new income threshold for the state scholarship, we were going to be eligible for it, and that was really huge in our decision making in sending Ellie to Catholic school … we probably would not have been able to do that had we not been eligible for the state scholarship, so we are really, really thankful for that. It’s been a huge blessing for our family.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- The search for the perfect educational option for Ellie
- Why a Catholic education proved to be the best fit
- The family’s feelings after learning that the Florida Legislature’s expansion of the state’s school choice scholarship program included families in their income bracket
- What the Lutens’ financial situation would have been had they not been eligible for a state scholarship
The post podcastED: Interview with a scholarship parent who became eligible under Florida’s 2021 school choice expansion appeared first on reimaginED.
Editor’s note: To read a comprehensive overview of Coons’ efforts to change the face of education choice, researched and reported by Step Up For Students’ director of policy and public affairs Ron Matus, click here.
On this special episode, recorded to coincide with the publication of renowned Berkeley law professor Coons’ new book, “School Choice and the Human Good,” he and Tuthill discuss Coons’ more than 50 years of education choice advocacy on behalf of the poor and working classes.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Jack-Coons_EDIT.mp3 A self-styled liberal from California, Coons and fellow law professor Steven Sugarman crafted a plan in 1978 that would have created more educational options for the parents of 4.5 million California students. As one reporter observed at the time, the plan would have taken a wrecking ball to the old order, installing a new one overnight.
Here’s how a front-page headline in the Los Angeles Times described the plan:
The idea is called school vouchers … this particular form turned out to be too radical even for the 1960s, and it died aborning … Now, however, the voucher idea is alive again, but not just as a theory or a pilot experiment. A statewide initiative is being proposed to make California the first state to establish an entire system of voucher schools, including public, private nonsectarian and religious.
Coons and Tuthill discuss the remarkable twist of fate – the murder of education choice advocate Congressman Leo Ryan in the 1978 Jonestown Massacre – that changed everything. Coons also relates his experience with education icons such as Albert Shanker and Milton Friedman and his unshakable belief that giving less affluent families choice over their children’s education is important for society at large.
“We have got to get the language straightened out. (Education choice supporters) are the liberals. You are opening up democracy for the poor. So long as people yell and scream at you as fascists because you happen to be for choice, let them look in the mirror …
“It is wrong to fight against (choice) on the grounds that it is a right-wing conspiracy. It’s a conspiracy to help ordinary poor people to live their lives with respect.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- Coons’ background and how it led him to advocate for education choice
- How Coons’ experience with raising a family influenced his views on education choice and why he believes choice reinforces a successful family ecosystem
- Coon’s education debates with Albert Shanker and Milton Friedman
- The 1978 California ballot initiative and how the murder of Congressman Leo Ryan at Jonestown changed the trajectory of education choice forever
- How Coons views the present-day system of public education, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
The post podcastED: Progressive education choice icon Jack Coons and Step Up For Students president Doug Tuthill on opening democracy for the poor through education choice appeared first on reimaginED.
A lifelong educator and former teacher union president, Doug Tuthill has been president of Step Up For Students since August 2008. On this episode, Tuthill, a former teacher union leader, presents his vision for how teacher unions can evolve in a world with robust education choice opportunity for families who want it.
https://www.reimaginedonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DougTuthillNewUnionism_EDIT.mp3 Tuthill’s 45-year history with public education has convinced him that putting education spending in the hands of families provides a huge opportunity for educators who are keen to create new businesses and teach outside the current district system.
A key necessity, Tuthill maintains, will be for unions to evolve to serve those teachers and help create a healthier public education market.
“For some reason, we take this level of regulation and micromanagement and don’t rebel against it. But as you see now, families are saying, ‘This doesn’t work.’ Education choice is a necessary condition to a create a functional (public education) market. One hundred fifty years of evidence showing a dysfunctional public education market does not create the equity we all aspire to.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- Tuthill’s history in teacher union politics and his early 90’s attempts at union reform through a New Unionism concept
- Changing the ecosystem of public education so it can be more efficient and how teacher unions can reposition themselves as a helpful force
- Business opportunities for teachers and unions in a decentralized public education world in which parents choose options based on individual need
- Overregulation of the public education system and the importance of lessening the burden to create more empowerment
The post podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill on reimagining teacher unions appeared first on reimaginED.