Wednesday • November 16, 2011 • 2:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. What is School Choice? School choice allows families the opportunity to choose the school their children will attend. The goal of school choice programs is to give parents more control over their child's education, and to allow parents to pursue the most appropriate learning environments for children. Positive outcomes take place when families have options for their children’s education and school choice provides families those options. School Choice provides incentives for schools to innovate, and to define themselves in relation to their community’s needs. What are some of the school choice options available in Florida?
Overview of Carousel Sessions – Come Explore Florida’s School Choice Options CAREER ACADEMIES: Career academies are small, personalized learning communities within a high school that prepare students for a career path based on their interests, including education opportunities beyond high school. CHARTER SCHOOLS: Charter schools are independent public schools of choice that are free to innovate, and often provide specialized programs as an option to a variety of students. HOME EDUCATION: Home Education is a parent-directed educational option that satisfies the requirement for regular school attendance while allowing students to explore and learn at their own pace, in any location or at any time. MAGNET SCHOOLS/PROGRAMS: Magnet schools offer a particular theme or academic focus, such as mathematics, science, technology, business, performing arts, or college preparatory. MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS: Dual Enrollment allows high school students to enroll in postsecondary courses and simultaneously earn credit toward both high school graduation and a college degree or career certificate. Advanced Placement (AP) is a nationwide program that allows high school students to earn college credit and/or advanced placement after earning a qualifying score on a nationally standardized AP examination. The International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) programs are both rigorous pre-university courses of study. MILITARY FAMILY CHOICE: The Interstate Compact seeks to address issues such as eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation requirements to make transition easier for the children of military families. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS: The McKay Scholarship program was designed to allow parents of students with disabilities to choose the best educational setting. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship encourages private, voluntary contributions from donors to non-profit scholarship funding organizations, which in turn award scholarships to children from low-income families to attend a private school. The Opportunity Scholarship program offers students who attended or who were assigned to attend a failing public school the option to choose a higher performing public school anywhere in Florida. SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (SES) / CHOICE WITH TRANSPORTATION: Title I schools that do not meet state targets for improving the achievement of all students may offer parents the choice of free academic services or the option to move to another higher performing school of choice. VIRTUAL EDUCATION: Students in Florida have more access to online education than students in any other state in the nation through district virtual instruction programs, Florida Virtual School (FLVS), and school district operated virtual franchises. ADVOCATING FOR YOUR CHILD: Participate in the Part I and Part II sessions that explore the basics of advocacy. Learn why it’s important to advocate, the levels of advocating, and how advocating helps proposed legislation become law. Understand how your voice and participation can make a big difference not only in your child’s education, but for all of Florida’s students. Special Thanks to our Partners
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May 20, 2012 |
Explore new opportunities to have a voice in your child’s education. Receive personal assistance from Parent Resource Center (PRC) staff. Invite your family and friends to join you in discovering Florida’s wide variety of school choice options.
