School Choice Nebraska

What should parents do about the proposed Nebraska health curriculum standards?   In this episode, Rachel talks about three things:   1. "Values" discussion from the April 2, 2021, Nebraska Board of Education meeting 2. The long-term solution for such problems (macro solution for the state) 3. The short-term solution for your kids (micro solution for your family right now)   Handy Links: Find your state senator to contact him or her about LB364: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_list.php   Read LB364 for yourself: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=44311   Links and instructions for part-time enrollment: http://schoolchoicelincoln.org/band-aid-options.html   Resources for parents and guardians: http://schoolchoicelincoln.org/resources.html   Join us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter!     SHOW LESS    

Lincoln mom Jen Ziemer is one of the hundreds of parents whose children have transitioned from full-time school through LPS to homeschool because of COVID. In this podcast, Jen talks about her journey, including trying to gain access to educational materials and learning apps her kids were using before they began homeschooling. Find video of Jen's testimony before the Nebraska Legislature's Education Committee here.   

Denisha Merriweather knows firsthand the importance of having the freedom to choose your school.  She has recently started a new organization, Black Minds Matter, to address the systemic racism in our public education system. Propped up by teachers unions, this system keeps children trapped in schools that often can't meet their needs.  Learn all about what you can do to end the injustice. The following resources are referenced in this episode. Voices For Choice Black Minds Matter Black Minds Matter Podcast Denisha's Real Clear Education piece on Black Minds Matter Black Minds Matter Project Facebook Page Black Minds Matter Instagram

Wisconsin has had school choice programs since the early 1990s. Wisconsin-based Kevin Nicholson shares his insights about political hurdles to school choice, parents' options in the wake of COVID-19, and what we can do to help the most disadvantaged among us. Learn more about Kevin and No Better Friend Corp.: Kevin's School Choice piece at Real Clear Politics No Better Friend Corp. Facebook Page No Better Friend Twitter Account Kevin Nicholson's Facebook Page Kevin Nicholson's Twitter

Disruptive innovation has come to K-12 education at last, and Acton Academies have come to Nebraska. Catch up with Zach Harsin from Acton Academy Lincoln, which will be opening in January 2021. This is a can't-miss episode; you'll hear all about how education is changing, even in Nebraska. Learn more about Acton Academy at these links: Intro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjyJ3eOX_PE&feature=youtu.be Find a local Acton Academy: https://www.actonacademy.org/find Acton Academy Lincoln: https://www.actonacademylincoln.com/

In Episode 17, you can learn how to register for homeschool in Nebraska. The following links will be helpful: Nebraska Department of Education Exempt School Program: https://www.education.ne.gov/fos/exempt-schools/#ndeacc School Choice Nebraska homeschool resources: http://www.schoolchoicelincoln.org/index.html Learn more about requirements, curriculum, part-time possibilities, homeschool co-ops and more.

Rachel makes a bold prediction about the arc of K-12 education reform in Nebraska.  Even though our politicians have been slow to adopt school choice measures, Nebraskans are enjoying the fruits of their hard work, especially now that schools have been closed due to COVID-19. Where will we go from here? How will kids catch up after missing 2-3 months of school this spring? What can our state legislators do to make sure this generation succeeds? Links: Poll Finds Strong Charter School Support Among Atlanta Black Voters: https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/poll-finds-strong-charter-school-support-among-atlanta-black-voters/SXGvQ7O77SD0epQ8g52UVP/ Microschools: http://schoolchoicelincoln.org/blog/disruptive-innovation-micro-schools  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some Nebraska community organizations have really stepped up to the plate, creating online resources and ways of keeping families and children engaged and actively learning. In this interview, we talk with Traci Winscot, Jennifer Beck, and Jessica Johnson from the Kearney Area Children's Museum. They share some of the ways they've brought their community together during a difficult time. Find the Kearney Area Children's museum at their website or social media: Facebook Instagram    

In the 2017-2018 school year, nearly 3% of Nebraska's K-12 students were registered as homeschoolers with the state. Now, in April 2020, 100% of Nebraska's K-12 students are learning at home. With COVID-19 causing such incredible disruption, parents, educators, and students are reeling. In this podcast, we'll learn about #LearnEverywhere, a project supported by Yes. Every Kid. Carrie O'Rourke, a regional director for Yes. Every Kid., gives parents encouragement and helps us to know where to find support. Find out more about the project at https://learneverywhere.org/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/kidslearneverywhere/    

Nebraska celebrated School Choice Week in style with a celebratory event at the Capitol on January 29, 2020. If you weren't able to make it, enjoy this recap, complete with clips of the musical numbers and speeches. Also, catch commentary on "government schools" and the #ILovePublicSchools misfire.

Nebraska-specific advice from the president of National School Choice Week, Andrew Campanella. Learn all about current options as well as potential future education options in our state. Want to learn more about Andrew? Visit his personal website or School Choice Week. You can also pick up his book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child at Amazon.

We have an accountability problem with K-12 education in Nebraska. Our current system has plenty of regulatory accountability but zero market accountability. If we want to see improvements, we're going to need to introduce the kind of accountability that incentivizes agility and student success.

We're getting the message loud and clear from national politicians like Elizabeth Warren and local politicians like Lynne Walz and Adam Morfeld: school choice should only be for the elite. In Episode 10, we look at local and national politicians who enjoy school choice but work hard to prevent lower-income families from enjoying the same privileges.

From stock trading to publishing, many industries have experienced disruptive innovation. School choice is bringing disruptive innovation to K-12 education, and states that encourage innovation are seeing an explosion of creative and cost-effective solutions. In this episode, we'll look at micro-schools, a parent-led school choice option that offers small class sizes and mastery-based learning. The show references this Forbes article by Kerry McDonald, published October 21, 2019.

While Nebraska leaders have doggedly clung to the education power structures of the past, the world has moved on. In other states, public charter schools have experimented with modern learning methods, creating more flexible, individualized options for teachers and students. Thanks to the progressive and forward-thinking developments of others, Nebraska kids can now access a host of online resources created by some of the world's best teachers and learning organizations. Want your student to take an AP Computer Science course from Purdue? And you want it for free? No problem. Looking for a free U.S. Government course? You can get it through Harvard. The stranglehold Nebraska union leaders and politicians have wielded over K12 students is slipping away, and it's not even requiring legislation or an overt battle. It's brought to you courtesy of...the Internet.

We're in a great position to see which education innovations are working well in other states. In this episode, we look at recent research showing several important benefits of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which has been serving students since 1990.  

This short episode piggybacks onto Episode 5: "What is a tax-credit scholarship?" In this episode we learn how to go straight to primary sources so we can have honest, thoughtful conversations based on a bill's actual language. We also talk about the people who would benefit most from this school choice measure.    

There seems to be widespread confusion about what a tax credit is, so here's a video to clear things up. The hearing for LB670 (Opportunity Scholarships Act) was held in the Nebraska Legislature yesterday. In this episode, we take a look at teacher union testimony and the facts about this school choice option.

Back in the early 1990s, several innovative lawmakers came up with a way to help the public schools in their states to improve. They called this innovation "charter schools."  In this episode, we look at how the current education system in Nebraska allows the schools to take their customers for granted. We discuss some video clips that feature education reformer Ted Kolderie and Fordham Institute senior research and policy associate David Griffith.

After a successful Nebraska School Choice Week Celebration, we're responding to some questions about the motivation behind our organization. Rachel Terry talks about why school choice is so important to her that she started School Choice Nebraska. Website: www.SchoolChoiceNebraska.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchoolChoiceNE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schoolchoicenebraska/?ref=bookmarks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCClxIXfjQm6hx-jK0oQgs9Q

Take a deep dive into propaganda that has been produced by Nebraska Loves Public Schools, the well-funded media arm of the groups who want to keep educational freedom out of Nebraska. We listen to a clip produced by NElovesPS that features UNO adjunct professor Ron Azoulay, who alleges that charter schools tell people what to do. This is rich, coming from an organization whose very name (Nebraska Loves Public Schools) tells people how to feel about K-12 public education in our state.  

In this episode, we'll talk about one of the key differences between large public school districts and public charter schools. In most large public school districts, administrators make "legacy" decisions for tens of thousands of students and thousands of teachers, even though they don't have much interaction with learners. In most public charter schools, teachers have much more freedom and authority to make important decisions, and this can have a big impact on learners since the teachers are the ones who interact with students on a daily basis. Much of the content included in this episode originally appeared in a blog post on July 18, 2015.  Show Notes: You can learn more about DSST, which has expanded to more than a dozen public charter schools in order to meet demand, at their website. If you're interested in watching the interview of DSST's Jake Firman, you can check out the whole clip on YouTube. Here are links to the Lincoln Journal Star articles about middle school electives and the $50 million Chromebook plan.