National School Choice Week ‘Special’ nation’s first cross-country whistle-stop train tour promoting school choice; Joe Trippi, Lisa Graham Keegan set to speak at rally
KANSAS CITY, MO. (Jan. 9, 2013) — More than 1,000 students, parents, teachers, and community leaders will rally at Union Station Kansas City on Monday, Jan. 28 to celebrate the arrival of the National School Choice Week ‘Special’ the nation’s first cross-country, whistle-stop train tour in support of education reform.
The rally celebrates National School Choice Week 2013, the world’s largest-ever celebration of effective education options for children. Speakers will discuss the benefits of public charter schooling, public school open enrollment, and online learning in Missouri, while spotlighting the need to enhance educational options for all Missouri families. The rally begins at 4:30 p.m.
“America’s families deserve to have access to the educational options that are right for them,” said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. “Having effective educational options for families in our country is a matter of national prosperity, national dignity, even national security. Missourians are ready to celebrate the great education options that they already have, and to demand the options that they don’t have.”
Speakers at the event will include Campanella, Lisa Graham Keegan, a nationally recognized education reform pioneer who served as Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor Joe Trippi, Douglas Thaman, the executive director of the Missouri Public Charter School Assocation, Lisa Snell, the director of education and child welfare at Reason Foundation, and Vonnelle Middleton, Chief Executive Officer of Hope Academy. The Show Me Institute’s James Shuls will be the event’s master of ceremonies.
National School Choice Week is planning the event in cooperation with the Show Me Institute, the Children’s Educational Alliance of Missouri, FreedomWorks, K-12, the Missouri Public Charter School Association, Parent Revolution and Students First.
This is the third annual National School Choice Week. Planned by a diverse, bipartisan coalition of citizens and organizations, National School Choice Week 2013, runs from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2 and will feature more than 3,500 events spanning all 50 states. Supporters of National School Choice Week believe that states must do more to expand access to challenging and motivating educational options, from high-performing public schools to public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, digital and online learning and homeschooling.
The National School Choice Week ‘Special’ is scheduled to travel through the following cities, each of which will host whistle-stop-themed events with parents, students and dynamic speakers:
Track the tour’s progress, and check out exclusive photos and videos, online at www.schoolchoiceweek.com/train. Follow the tour on Twitter at @SCWSpecial, and Tweet about the tour with the hashtags #SCW and #whistlestop.
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@schoolchoiceweek
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