January 2009
Dear BAEO Supporter:
On behalf of our board of directors, staff and members, I wish you a Happy New Year. BAEO in 2009 is poised to make a valuable contribution to the parental choice movement, particularly for the families and children who benefit from our work. As I reflect on BAEO's work in 2008, I am pleased to say that we accomplished a great deal. Let me highlight some of our 2008 accomplishments.
Year in Review: 2008
BAEO BAILEY AND SULLIVAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (BSLI)
BAEO�s Bailey and Sullivan Leadership Institute (BSLI) hosted its fourth annual Seminar on Education Policy & Parental Choice in Orlando, FL on November 14-15, 2008. The Harvard University Program on Education Policy and Governance was a cosponsor. Financial support for this seminar was provided by: the Alliance for School Choice, Democrats for Education Reform, the Friedman Foundation, the Daniels Fund, John Kirtley, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. This year�s annual seminar attracted over 152 participants: 83 were Black elected officials and staff representing city, county, municipal and state government from 16 states. The BSLI event raised the level of awareness of Democrats across the country to continue the fight for educational options for children nationwide. Here is the web site: http://www.baeo.org/programs?program_id=43.
BAEO completed its BSLI National Fellowship Program in December 2008. The goal of the part-time fellowship was to educate a cadre of Black advocates to support the parental choice movement at the local, state and national level. Our first class of BSLI fellows were Monique Satchell (Ohio), Paris Ford (Minnesota), Quanda Charles (Louisiana), and Rashida Evans (Wisconsin). The Walton Family Foundation and the Joyce Foundation funded the fellowship.
BAEO NATIONAL MOBILIZATION
BAEO's Mobilization Program, with financial support from the Alliance for School Choice, educated and organized hundreds of Black parents, clergy, and civic leaders to support parental choice in several states. Source for flags: 50states.com and FlagSpot.net.
o In Florida, BAEO partnered with the Carrie Meek Foundation to support an aggressive advertising campaign using urban radio, major statewide and Black newspapers, and other outlets to inform Black families about the Florida Corporate Tax Credit Program. To date more than 1,000 Carrie Meek Scholars are in school because of the CTC Program. Web site for the Carrie Meek Foundation: CarrieMeekFoundation.org.
o In Georgia, the BAEO team informed parents about the statewide Special Needs Scholarship Program, sponsored a parental options information campaign that appeared on 258 radio stations, and created the BAEO Atlanta Schools Fund�as part of the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program�to provide scholarships to low-income families in Atlanta. Web site for the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program: www.GoalScholarship.org/.
o In Louisiana, the BAEO team in partnership with national and local allies supported an effort that resulted in the creation of the Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program in the New Orleans area. This K-3 program enrolled nearly 640 student in 31 private schools by December 2008. Web site for the SSEE program: www.LouisianaSchools.net.
o In Minnesota, the BAEO team educated the Minneapolis-St. Paul community about parental options.
o In Missouri, the BAEO team hosted a 300 person rally at the state capitol, hosted information sessions in St. Louis and Kansas City for Black business and civic leaders, and helped to attract 1,000 new students to public charter schools.
o In Ohio, the BAEO team assisted over 1,600 families in Dayton, Columbus and Springfield obtain a private school scholarship through the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship program and the Ohio Autism Scholarship Program. In addition, Ohio BAEO team hosted 35 �meet-and-greet� sessions at EdChoice participating privates and public charter schools. The Annual School Expo in Columbus welcomed 31 vendors and 100-200 EdChoice eligible families. The team made appearances on radio and television numerous time throughout the 2008-2009 application period. Click the following link: Ohio BAEO.
o In Pennsylvania, the BAEO team organized 900 parents to attend a 2,000 person rally at the state capitol, conducted 24 Parents With POWER! (PWP) sessions, and awarded 88 scholarships to Philadelphia families totaling over $119,000. Click the following link:Philadelphia BAEO.
o In Washington, D.C., the BAEO leadership spearheaded a grassroots effort that involved several thousand DC parents and supporters and resulted in the U.S. Congress supporting the continuation of funding for the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program through 2010. Web site to Voices of School Choice: www.voicesofschoolchoice.org.
o In Wisconsin, the BAEO team supported Milwaukee�s private and public parental choice programs and continued its work to increase the pipeline of first-generation college students. Click the following link: Milwaukee BAEO.
PARENTAL OPTIONS & LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
BAEO participated in the White House Summit on Education, two events sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, the annual National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Conference, and an annual meeting for state charter school associations in Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Missouri to speak with parents, policymakers and educators about the benefits of public charter schools.
BAEO partnered with KIPP, The Walton Family Foundation, The Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Charter School Growth Fund, Teach for America, Friendship Public Charter Schools in Washington, D.C., New Leaders for New Schools, Uncommon Schools, Hispanic CREO, Self-Help Ventures Fund and other allies to support the development of Partners for Developing Futures. It is an initiative to ensure we have high-performing schools and high-performing networks of schools led by people of color.
BAEO RESEARCH
BAEO coauthored an issue brief titled, �The Color of Success: Black Student Achievement in Public Charter Schools.� Here is the link to the issue brief published by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Shades of Success.
BAEO�s �More than Homework, A Snack, and Basketball: Afterschool Programs as an Oasis of Hope for Black Parents in Four Cities� report, which was funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, appeared in the Harvard Family Research Project�s The Evaluation Exchange. The edition of this particular periodical focuses on the current state, and future direction, of family involvement in education. Web site for the report: Click here to view the report.
BAEO-GATES SMALL HIGH SCHOOL INITIATIVE
The BAEO-Gates Small High School Initiative had three schools in its network and educated 831 students in two public charter schools in Philadelphia and a private school in Milwaukee. Schools are listed below. Web site to the BAEO-Gates homepage: http://www.baeo.org/programs?program_id=47.
Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School.
New Media Technology Charter School.
CEO Leadership Academy.
BAEO ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
BAEO's Eighth Annual Symposium was held in New Orleans, LA on February 2008. More than 600 parental choice supporters attended this festive event. Our theme was Parental Choice: The Voice of Our Future. Parents, policymakers, youth and allies in attendance provided very supportive remarks about Symposium 2008, and the Symposium received high marks on participant evaluations. Here is a link to the Symposium 2008 Documentation Report.
Mark your Calendar for 10th Annual Meeting of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO Symposium 2010) on March 4-6, 2010 in Milwaukee, WI. Web site for the Symposium homepage: http://www.baeo.org/programs?program_id=6.
THE ROAD AHEAD IN 2009
As BAEO begins a new year, we will continue our work to actively support parental choice to empower families and increase quality educational options for Black children. I will keep you abreast of our accomplishments in 2009.
Thank you for your continued support of BAEO.
Take care,
Gerard Robinson
President