Key Points

• A from Governor Brian Kemp has designated January 21-27, 2024, as School Choice Week in Ģ����Ƶ.
• Ģ����Ƶ School Choice Week celebrates the fact that every kid is unique and more education options mean parents, educators, and communities can improve education and life outcomes for all students.��
• In 2024, Ģ����Ƶ lawmakers can expand education options by passing Promise Scholarships, expanding the Tax Credit Scholarship for private school access, and allowing public school transfers.

A from Governor Brian Kemp has designated January 21-27, 2024, as School Choice Week in Ģ����Ƶ. Ģ����Ƶ is one of several states holding this event as part of .��

is an annual, multi-state initiative that engages parents, schools, community organizations, and elected officials in promoting the benefits of school choice and the education options available within each state.��

Ģ����Ƶ Governor Bill Kemp’s proclamation highlights the commitment to fostering diverse educational options so that the state is investing in one of our state’s most valuable resources: our students and their futures.

Ģ����Ƶ Governor Bill Kemp proudly celebrates National School Choice Week with a proclamation, adorned with official seals and signatures. The proclamation highlights the commitment to fostering diverse educational options for students throughout the state.

School Choice Week focuses on giving parents and educators the tools to improve education outcomes for all students 

First and foremost, School Choice Week celebrates the fact that every kid is unique. While public schools will continue to be a great option for many students, states are realizing that families need more education choices and flexibility overall. There’s no one-size-fits-all learning  environment that can accommodate the diversity of learning needs that exist within our communities.��

Parents know this well—so much so that the desire to give kids a quality, customized education motivated one in five parents to switch schools between March 2020 and May 2022. In 2023, polling found that , including , supported more choices within the K-12 education system. Teachers share this support, as well: think that Education Savings Accounts are a good idea.��

Why all the positive support for school choice? More choice in education is . It expands opportunities for all families, not just those who can afford to make a choice or live in a certain area. States with robust choice programs tend to achieve , including those in the public school system.��

These education outcomes are directly linked to students’ long-term success. Students who complete high school , better health, more involvement in their communities, decreased mortality rates, fewer criminal records, and lower teen pregnancy rates.��

With so much at stake, a child’s zip code should not limit their access to a quality education.��

Ģ����Ƶ has opportunities to expand education options in 2024

Ģ����Ƶ’s School Choice Week coincides with the early weeks of the 2024 legislative session, making it a good time to consider the opportunities our elected officials have to shape a more modern, equitable education system in Ģ����Ƶ.��

Here are few ways Ģ����Ƶ lawmakers could expand access to quality education for families this year: 

• Pass Promise Scholarships (SB 233): The Ģ����Ƶ Promise Scholarship is a proposed education choice program that would allow parents to access the best schooling option for their child. These state-funded scholarships would give parents $6,500 per student for each school year and expand opportunity for kids in the bottom 25% of public schools. The bill needs to be passed by the House in 2024 and receive the governor’s signature in order to be enacted.

   

• Increase the Tax Credit Scholarship Cap: Costs often put private school options out of reach for lower and middle-income households. Ģ����Ƶ’s tax credit scholarship program alleviates some of this inequity by making private school scholarships available to K-12 public school students in need. Raising the scholarship cap would allow the program to serve even more kids. In 2024, the House of Representatives is considering that would raise the cap from $120 million to $130 million.

   

• Allow Public School Transfers: We often think of school choice as alternatives to public schools, but there are ways to build flexibility into the public school system itself. This is a worthwhile goal because strong public schools will continue to be beneficial to communities. A would allow students to within their district or a different district, making it easier for families to access the public school best suited to their child’s needs. Ģ����Ƶ Senators have a chance to pass that bill in the current session.

Behind all of these potential reforms, there’s a significant question about the future of education in Ģ����Ƶ: Will we keep pace with other states expanding education opportunity, or will Ģ����Ƶ continue to fall further behind?��

Ways to participate in Ģ����Ƶ’s School Choice Week

, and check out these ideas specifically for Ģ����Ƶ parents.��

• Thank the teachers and administrators at the school your child currently attends. School choice is also about appreciating the options we have today.
• Get to know Ģ����Ƶ’s school choice options.��
• Learn how to get information about ����

For communities, school choice is a powerful tool. When options exist—both public schools and alternatives—parents, educators, and communities have tools to focus on what matters most: Nurturing the development, success, and happiness of Ģ����Ƶ’s kids.��

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The Ģ����Ƶ Promise Scholarship is a state-supported form of financial aid for students leaving public school in search of a better educational setting. Under the proposed legislation, Senate Bill 233, eligible students would have $6,500—funds that the state would have spent on their public school education—set aside in an account. Parents then could direct that money to pay for educational expenses, including private school tuition, books, uniforms, and even transportation. 

Ģ����Ƶ already has two scholarship-based programs: 

• The , which allows students with special education needs to choose the public or private school best suited for their situation. In the event that families choose a private school, the state provides a scholarship equal to the amount the student would have received for state-based education services.��
  
• The , which expands access to private schools for families who otherwise could not afford that option.��

Adding another scholarship program to Ģ����Ƶ’s menu of education options naturally raises questions about what Promise Scholarships would do and who would be affected. For Ģ����Ƶ’s private schools, these questions are top-of-mind as they seek to understand how Promise Scholarships would impact the Tax Credit Scholarship Program and potentially put other requirements on private schools.

Join the movement to give every child in Ģ����Ƶ the education they deserve! Visit Everykid.info to learn how you can make a difference and learn valuable information for parents on how you can help provide quality education for all Ģ����Ƶ kids. Don’t wait – visit now!

Promise Scholarship (SB 233) FAQs for Ģ����Ƶ’s Private Schools 

Which students would be eligible for a Promise Scholarship?

Students currently attending public schools that are ranked in the bottom 25% of all public schools in academic performance. In 2024, the House of Representatives introduced changes to SB 233 that further narrow eligibility:

The bill now gives first priority to students from families below 400% of the federal poverty level—around $120,000 a year for a family of four. Students above that threshold will be allowed to participate if funds are left over after the lower-income students are served.

A funding cap was also put on the program. Funding for Promise Scholarships cannot exceed 1% of public school funding. Even if parent demand maxes out the program, this amount would only cover an estimated 22,000 kids.��

Are Promise Scholarship dollars limited solely to tuition and expenses related to private school education?

No. Unlike existing school choice programs in the state such as the Ģ����Ƶ Special Needs Scholarship and the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program, the resources students receive from the Promise Scholarship are more flexible. In addition to private school tuition, allowable expenses could include tutoring and therapies—even offered outside of the private school setting—as well as curriculum and materials for homeschooling.��

What is required by the state of Ģ����Ƶ for a private school to accept students using Promise Scholarship dollars?

The requirements for private schools under the Promise Scholarship program substantially mirror the requirements for private schools already participating in either the Ģ����Ƶ Special Needs Scholarship Program or the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program. If you already participate in either or both programs, there will be very few (if any) new requirements.

In order to serve students with a Promise Scholarship, private schools must:

• Have been in operation for one school year.
• Submit aggregate data of Promise Scholarship Students’ attendance rates and course completion rates.*
• Report on-time graduation rates of Promise Scholarship Students.* 
• Comply with the anti-discrimination provisions of 42 U.S.C. Section 2000d.
• Comply with state laws applicable to private schools.
• Be physically located in Ģ����Ƶ.
• Administer to Promise Scholarship Students at least one norm-referenced test that measures academic progress in math and language arts per year.*

*Requirement is unique to the Promise Scholarship program and not currently required by the Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

Would the creation of the Promise Scholarship program negatively impact existing school choice programs, such as the Tax Credit Scholarship Program?

No. The programs should be viewed as complementary to one another, allowing for a greater pool of financial aid for prospective private school families.��

Students would be prohibited from receiving both a Promise Scholarship and a scholarship from an SSO under the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program. However, the Promise Scholarship program gives each participating student $6,500 directly from the state—a higher value than the average scholarships awarded by SSOs under the tax credit program.��

The Tax Credit Scholarship Program could continue to serve students who are not eligible for a Promise Scholarship.��

Are there any protections for private schools, particularly faith-based schools, against state regulation as a result of accepting Promise Scholarship students and dollars?

Yes. Modeled after similar provisions in other states, there is explicit language in the bill prohibiting the state from requiring a private school or other participating provider to alter the creed, practices, admissions and employment policies, or curricula.��

What’s the key takeaway for Ģ����Ƶ’s private schools?

The Promise Scholarship Program and the Tax Credit Scholarship Program would be complementary to one another. Together, these two programs diversify the sources and types of aid available to families and can broaden the potential applicant pool for private schools without creating additional fundraising burdens.

Additional Resources

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Key Points

• Each May, National Police Week honors America’s law enforcement members, especially those who have fallen in the line of duty.��
• Lower crime and violence is a proven community benefit of having more police.��
• Investing in local police forces is a practical way to reduce violence in areas like Atlanta and Columbus.

Every May, a week is designated as to honor America’s law enforcement members, especially those officers who sacrificed their lives while serving their communities. Along with remembering these local heroes, Police Week is an opportunity to reflect on the role law enforcement has in building vibrant communities where everyone can achieve their potential.��

The Community Benefit of More Police: Less Crime.��

In 2020, had contact with the police, with most interactions relating to traffic stops or accidents, reporting of crimes, or seeking help with non-crime emergencies. Behind all of these interactions is a larger societal benefit of well-staffed, well-managed police forces: less violence.��

Josh Crawford, GCO’s Director of Criminal Justice, : “Police are the element of the criminal justice system most visible to the public and the arm with which citizens are most likely to interact.”

That presence is key to discouraging crime and boosting people’s confidence in the safety of their communities. Over the past couple of decades, research has affirmed what many intuitively know—that having more police helps lower crime and violence.

• 2002: Criminologists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham that “a 10 percent increase in police levels lowered crime rates by 1.4 percent over time.”
  
• 2004: Economist Steven D. Levitt data from 122 cities around the U.S. from 1975 to 1995 and found that increased police numbers brought down violent crime by 12 percent and property crime by eight percent.
  
• 2015: A Brennan Center for Justice found that “increases in the number of police officers had a modest, downward effect on crime in the 1990s, likely between 0 and 10 percent.”
• 2018: A looked at police and crime data from 1960 through 2010 and concluded that every $1 spent on policing generates about $1.63 in social benefits, mostly through reductions in homicides.

Ģ����Ƶ’s Communities Have a Police Shortage Problem 

Ģ����Ƶ is grappling with a shortage of police officers. Areas like Atlanta and Columbus in particular have struggled to recruit and retain enough officers, and communities are feeling the strain as violence rises and wait times increase for emergency responses.��

According to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), police shortages have had three major drivers: 

1. Law enforcement agencies can’t hire enough officers. An April 2023 of police agencies found that “police agencies are losing officers faster than they can hire new ones.” The talent pool is also shrinking. Agencies have a noticeable decrease in the number of applicants for open positions.
   
2. Officers are leaving before retirement age. Based on available from police agencies, the top reason officers resign is to take another job in law enforcement. The second highest reason is to switch their career path altogether.��
3. More officers are approaching retirement. According to , approximately a quarter of U.S. police officers have reached retirement age or will be eligible to retire within the next three to five years.��

Investing in Local Police Is Necessary for Growing Vibrant, Low-Crime Communities

According to Crawford, defunding or otherwise redirecting money away from local police is .��

“Proponents of ‘defund the police’ are quick to point to the fact that the money taken from police agencies would be reallocated to a myriad of social programs and direct investment in underserved communities,” said Crawford. “Worthy as these individual programs and investments may be, there is no social program that can replicate the essential functions of policing.” 

In 1995 and again in 2009, federal grants from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) helped state and local law enforcement agencies address officer recruitment and retention challenges. The track record of this funding was strong: Police hires increased, and crime went down. suggests another grant round could help police agencies address today’s staffing shortages — as long as the funding is tied to increasing full-time, sworn officers within the specific departments receiving the grants.��

Whether it’s at the federal level or efforts closer to home, we should direct resources to what we know serves our neighborhoods best. Communities benefit when they have more officers with more hours of better training, not fewer officers with less training.��

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No matter what chapter of history you look at, education is often one of the top issues that states and communities have wrestled with. Even today, Ģ����Ƶ is grappling with the reality that thousands of kids are stuck in underperforming schools, and change is needed if we are going to give them a chance to thrive. 

As we celebrate Black History Month this February, it’s a perfect time to look to the African American community for inspiration on the issue of education. Having suffered obstacles ranging from zero education access to segregation and racism in schools, numerous African Americans throughout our country’s history know firsthand the struggle—and the gift—that education can be. Many have dedicated themselves to the cause of education, driven by a shared passion and vision for giving every kid a quality education, regardless of their race or circumstance of their birth. 

Let’s meet a few of these leaders who dedicated their lives to fighting for more educational freedom and opportunity.   

1. Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837-1914)

grew up in Philadelphia in a family well-known for its activism against slavery. In her early school years, she was taught at home by tutors. Because Philadelphia’s school system was segregated, Charlotte’s parents sent her to Salem, Massachusetts, where she could attend a more progressive school that accepted Black students. As an adult, Charlotte paid the opportunity of education forward. She attended teacher training school, and during the Civil War, she was the at the Penn School in South Carolina, a school established to teach African-American children both while they were enslaved and after they were freed. After the war, Charlotte for the Freedmen’s Union Commission and the U.S. Treasury Department to help recruit and train more African-American teachers.��

May those whose holy task it is,

To guide impulsive youth,

Fail not to cherish in their souls

A reverence for truth;

For teachings which the lips impart

Must have their source within the heart.

– From The Journal of Charlotte Forten, 1853

2. Fanny Jackson Coppin (1837-1913)

was born into slavery and was not freed until age 12. For the rest of her young adult years, she worked as a servant for author George Henry Calvert in Newport, Rhode Island. Fanny yearned for education, so she used her earnings to employ a tutor for about three hours a week. Thanks to her academic diligence and financial help from an aunt and the local African Methodist Church, Fanny entered Oberlin College, Ohio, which was the first college in the United States to enroll both black and female students.��

It was at Oberlin College that Fanny embarked on her career as an educator—a vocation that would create learning opportunities for thousands of African Americans. While a student at Oberlin, she taught a free night class for African Americans in reading and writing. The College also appointed her to teach classes at their preparatory division, the Oberlin Academy, making Fanny the first black teacher among the Academy’s faculty. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 1865, becoming one of only three African American women to do so, she accepted a position at Philadelphia’s Institute for Colored Youth. Over the course of her career, Fanny would become the first African American woman to and to fill the role of superintendent of a United States school district. 

“I feel sometimes like a person to whom in childhood was entrusted some sacred flame…This is the desire to see my race lifted out of the mire of ignorance, weakness and degradation; no longer to sit in obscure corners and devour the scraps of knowledge which his superiors flung at him. I want to see him crowned with strength and dignity; adorned with the enduring grace of intellectual attainments.” – Fanny Jackson Coppin, writing to Frederick Douglass in 1876

3. Inez Beverly Prosser (1895-1934)

was born into a family that highly valued education. Opportunities were scarce for African American kids during Inez’s childhood, and her family moved often in search of the best education available for Inez and her 10 siblings. Inez’s schooling led her to earn a teaching certificate, a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree in educational psychology. 

Inez had a deep passion for education and believed in its power to change lives. She held various roles as a teacher and assistant principal in segregated schools, but her interest in psychology set her apart from other educators. She devoted herself to understanding and improving the educational and psychological development of African American students. In 1933, she became one of the first black women to earn a PhD in psychology. undertook a pioneering and bold examination of segregation’s impact on black students’ social, psychological, and educational development. Findings and arguments from her dissertation were cited in the larger debate about school segregation, carving out a legacy for Inez as one of the leading advocates for the educational and mental health of African American kids.  

“I am interested in that type of research which will lead to better teaching in elementary and high schools.” – Inez Beverly Prosser

“Many have dedicated themselves to the cause of education, driven by a shared passion and vision for giving every kid a quality education, regardless of their race or circumstance of their birth.”

4. Kelly Miller (1863-1939) 

From his early school days, showed a talent for math. After an impressive academic career spanning the study of math, sociology, Latin, and Greek, Kelly received a bachelor’s degree from Howard University. He became the first black man to be accepted into Johns Hopkins University for post-graduate work in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. 

However, Kelly was forced to leave Johns Hopkins when the school increased its fees, and he returned to Howard University where he took a teaching job and continued his own education, earning advanced degrees in math and law. In 1907, Kelly became the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard. His passion for education motivated him to modernize the College’s curriculum and to tour states across the South in recruitment of new students. Under his leadership, enrollment tripled, and curriculum improved.��

“The instruction which you have received here, and upon which your diplomas set a seal, will be of value to you only in so far as you digest and assimilate it, and wisely adapt it to the tasks which lie before you.” — Kelly Miller

5. Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961)

was born in Virginia, and after her father’s death, she moved to Washington, D.C., with her mother where she completed high school and graduated with honors. While Nannie’s career began with roles in secretarial and bookkeeping work, education would eventually become her focus. 

Her mark in education was a unique one: Nannie wanted to help poor, working African American women. She believed that these women should have opportunities to learn skills beyond domestic work, so in 1909, she the National Training School for Women and Girls the National Baptist Convention and through the support of from the black community. The school provided job training and academic instruction to young black women, giving them the option to enter the workforce and pursue careers. The school was one of the first of its kind in the early 20th century, and Nannie served as its president until her death in 1961. 

“To struggle and battle and overcome and absolutely defeat every force designed against us is the only way to achieve.” — Nannie Helen Burroughs

6. Esau Jenkins (1910-1972) 

was a shining example of how community members can contribute to improving education for underserved kids. Having grown up in the era of segregation, Esau knew what it was like not to have access to educational opportunities. If he had anything to do with it, the kids in his South Carolina community would not have to suffer the same injustice. 

So, Esau and his wife used part of their income to to transport their own kids and fellow children on South Carolina’s Sea Islands to schools in Charleston. Esau also used his bus to help adult workers get to their jobs. During these rides, he and his wife would about the U.S. Constitution and other information that was required to pass literacy exams and become a registered voter. This experience showed Esau that a better approach to adult education was desperately needed, and he founded the first Citizenship School on Johns Island to provide more structured education for adults, including instruction in basic literacy and politics. Thanks to his efforts, thousands of African Americans became registered voters. 

Even while supporting adult education, Esau’s motivation to help kids did not falter. In 1951, Esau in establishing Haut Gap School on Johns Island so that the youth in that community would have a quality education option. Today, is a middle school that functions as a —a type of public school option that specializes in certain curriculum areas, such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), the arts, or vocational training.

“It takes a pretty large person to love. Any small person can hate.” – Esau Jenkins

7. Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987) 

’s legacy was that of a community teacher. Septima grew up in Charleston, South Carolina—a place where the lines of segregation and class were strictly and harshly drawn, especially when it came to education. Septima was a bright student. After sixth grade, she tested directly into ninth grade at the Avery Institute and graduated from high school in 1916. Financial constraints prevented her from attending college, but even without a degree, she passed the state examination that allowed her to teach. 

Charleston did not allow African Americans to teach in its public schools, so Septima took a teaching job in the rural community of Johns Island just outside of Charleston. Throughout her 40 years as an educator, Septima had various jobs where she would teach children during the day. At night, on her own time, she would teach African American adults how to read and write and, in the process, she developed several innovative methods to help them pick up these skills more quickly. Septima believed that literacy and citizenship went hand-in-hand, so as she taught basic literacy skills, she also adults learn about their rights and become informed, registered voters. Through her work, she became an , known as “The Mother of the Movement” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. 

“What we are working for is an educational program that has become a resource and rallying point for scores of brave southerners who are leading the fight for justice and better race relations in these crucial days.”

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