Illinois students, communities to hold over 900 events as part of nation's largest-ever celebration of school choice
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has officially proclaimed January 24-30, 2016 as “School Choice Week in Illinois.” Governor Rauner joins more than two dozens other governors and 210 mayors and county leaders nationwide in issuing proclamations.
With more than 900 events being held to celebrate the Week in Illinois alone – and with more than 16,000 independently organized events across all 50 states – National School Choice Week will be America’s largest-ever celebration of opportunity in education. Events will include rallies, round-table discussions, coffeehouse meet-ups, festivals, school fairs, and more.
As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical public awareness effort, National School Choice Week seeks to raise public awareness about school choice to start tens of thousands of individual conversations across our country about the need for, and benefits of, educational opportunity.
In response to the proclamation Governor Rauner said, “The mission of my administration is to create a cradle-to-career educational system whereby students complete their post-secondary experience prepared to be engaged citizens with meaningful and rewarding careers. In order to accomplish that mission, we must provide high-quality educational options for families regardless of geographic location or community wealth. Charter schools are already providing many Illinois families with choices; we look forward to supporting the growth of charter schools through our federal grant.”
“We are grateful for Governor Rauner’s support for School Choice Week in Illinois,” said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. “Millions of people across the country, regardless of which type of schooling they choose, are united in their view that greater choice means greater opportunities for our children to thrive.”
Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for every child. Through thousands of independently planned events across the country, National School Choice Week raises public awareness of all types of educational choices available to children. These options include traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online learning, private schools, and homeschooling.
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For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com, or visit ww.facebook.com/schoolchoiceweek.
Ewa Malcher
