School Choice Options In North Carolina:
There are a variety of school choice options available for many of the 2.3 million children living in North Carolina. Families in North Carolina can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, and homeschooling.
PEFNC's Brian Jodice interviews Andrew Campanella, the President of National School Choice Week on the PEFNC Podcast:
During National School Choice Week, schools and organizations across North Carolina partner with families to raise awareness about the different K-12 education options available to children. This not-for-profit effort is designed to inform and assist parents, while shining a positive spotlight on the importance of opportunity in education. In 2021, National School Choice Week will take place from January 24-30, 2021.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK AND DOWNLOAD NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK RESOURCES HERE
To kick off School Choice Week, the Duke Energy Center in Charlotte was lit up red and yellow on Sunday night, January 24th. Check out this great picture and see more of our photos HERE.
Watch PEFNC's Brian Jodice on WBTV's QC Life talking about School Choice Week:
On Wednesday we announced the winners of our School Choice Week Virtual Art Contest on a special livestream:
See the winners on our Facebook page HERE.
Allaura Osborne, a senior at North Raleigh Christian, penned an incredible piece that was printed at EdNC.org as well as the North State Journal:
Some gifts come in wrapped boxes tied up with frilly ribbons or bows. But one of the greatest gifts I ever received didn’t come in any fancy packaging — it came wrapped in a scholarship. The gift inside was school choice, and it changed my life. It helped me not only to grow as a student but to discover my voice and my passion for giving back in the workforce.
Six years ago, North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program gave me and my family the chance to consider all our school options and select the school that best met my needs. Opportunity Scholarshipsprovide up to $4,200 in tuition assistance for lower-income, working-class families in North Carolina to send their kids to the school of their choice. My own scholarship enabled my family to send me to North Raleigh Christian Academy.
My school’s rigorous academic curriculum empowered me to learn at my own pace. Maybe you won’t hear this from every student, but I hate easy classes. While my prior school didn’t challenge me, I have relished the opportunity school choice gave me to take tough classes at my new school.
We capped off the week by welcoming one of the newest members of the North Carolina Legislature, Representative Diane Wheatley, to read a book for students at the School of Hope in Fayetteville. The School of Hope is near-and-dear to our hearts at PEFNC, given their mission to serve students with autism in the name of remembering the school founder's son Jared who sadly passed away. His legacy lives on in the school today.
