Article posted August 11, 2008

Washington, D.C. parent and activist Virginia Walden Ford has been honored with the John T. Walton Champions for School Choice Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the national nonprofit Alliance for School Choice.

The award recognizes Ms. Walden Ford’s contributions to education reform in the District.

As a single mother, Virginia Walden Ford took up the cause of school choice after her son received a private scholarship to escape a failing D.C. school.

Since then, she has worked to mobilize thousands of District parents in support of school choice, culminating in the successful passage of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program by the U.S. Congress in 2004. She is also the author of the book Voices, Choices, and Second Chances.

As president of the D.C. Black Alliance for Educational Options (DCBAEO) and executive director of D.C. Parents for School Choice, Ms. Walden Ford–along with her sister and advocacy partner Harrietta Fowler–was instrumental this year in mobilizing parents in support of renewed Congressional funding of the program through the 2009-2010 school year.

Since its inception, the scholarship program has received high marks from parents, and recent studies have indicated that students in the program are succeeding academically.

Additionally, a 2007 Greater Washington Urban League poll earlier this year demonstrated overwhelming public support for the federal three sector approach to D.C. education funding, which includes the scholarship program, support for charter schools, and additional public school funding.

More recent polling from Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) reaffirmed the public’s support for school choice in the District, with 63 percent of respondents backing the scholarship program.

„By ensuring a quality education for every student, you are helping prepare them for the many opportunities ahead,“ said President George W. Bush in a letter congratulating Ms. Walden Ford on receiving the award. „Your good work reflects the character of our Nation, and I am grateful for your dedication.“

„Virginia’s work in organizing parents in the District has been nothing short of amazing,“ said Charles R. Hokanson, Jr., president of the Alliance for School Choice. „She has been a beacon for parents who want their children to receive a better education.

As a result of her efforts, more than 1,900 children are attending excellent private schools through the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.“

„I am honored by this award from the Alliance and I accept it on behalf of the thousands of parents in our nation’s capital who are fighting every day to see their children succeed,“ Ms. Walden Ford said.

The award is named in honor of the late John T. Walton, a decorated hero of the Vietnam War and pioneer of the modern-day school choice movement. The founder of the Alliance for School Choice, Mr. Walton died tragically in a 2005 plane crash.

Ms. Walden Ford recently launched an interactive new Web site, www.voicesofschoolchoice.org, which features video interviews with student scholarship recipients. Through DCBAEO, she is also currently working to raise funds to provide school supplies and education-related scholarships to low-income families.

The Alliance for School Choice is the nation’s largest organization promoting school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs. www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org

Alliance for School Choice