SAN ANTONIO – National School Choice week kicked off on Monday with over 16,000 events planned across the country and over 1,200 planned in Texas alone.
According to National School Choice Week organizers, the week serves as an opportunity for parents to learn more about different education options for their children, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, online academies, private schools and homeschooling.
On Monday, IDEA public schools opened their doors for a school choice event, hoping to highlight some of the characteristics that make them unique.
“The whole mission of IDEA public schools is to get our kids to and through college. That puts a lot of pressure on our adults, and it's a pressure that we embrace, because we know what success takes,” said Rolando Posada, executive director at IDEA Public Schools. “College for all children. Here in San Antonio, less than 9 percent of our kids from the inner city are finishing high school, and finishing college in six years or less. Less than 9 percent. That number is debilitating."
Posada said every IDEA student has been accepted to college the past nine years in a row.
The events in Texas, which are independently planned and funded, include information sessions, open houses, rallies and policy discussions.
On Friday, more than 2,000 supporters will rally at the state Capitol in Austin for school choice.