As many of Louisiana�s best and brightest have moved to Texas, Shre� Medlock, did the reverse, relocating from Texas to Louisiana in 2006 to become Louisiana�s first state director for the Black Alliance for Educational Options, a national nonprofit group that focuses on educational choice for low-income working families.
Mention �choice� in education, and most people think of vouchers � the controversial idea of using taxpayer money to give parents the option to send their children to a variety of public or private schools.
Although many people think of the alliance as �the voucher people,� the group supports vouchers as one range among many for educational success, Medlock recently told Advocate reporters and editors.
�Vouchers are an option. We support vouchers, but we also support public schools, home schooling and private schools,� she said.
Because each child is different, the same school setting won�t work for every youngster, and parents need solid information to make the best choice, Medlock said. But many poor, working parents lack the information they need to make informed choices about their child�s education, and Medlock said her group is trying to change that.
As the group�s local director, Medlock has helped parents navigate the educational bureaucracy, presented programs that help parents work with teachers to guide their children to success, and tried to recruit new members for the alliance, which also depends on volunteers to spread its message.
As post-Katrina New Orleans embraces a number of experiments aimed at reviving its school system, the Washington, D.C.-based alliance has slated its next national conference in the Crescent City Feb. 27 to March
1. Among other activities, participants are scheduled to tour �some of the most intriguing quality schools in New Orleans� and �be inspired� as they �meet educators, students and parents who defeat the odds,� according to the alliance�s official program.
We welcome any national attention on education initiatives helping New Orleans and Louisiana rebound. We also welcome any forum in which thoughtful people can talk about improving education, the key to Louisiana�s future.
Source: http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/13936117.html