Thursday, May 30th, 2019

In this Issue

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR: JOIN WOMEN IN THE MOVEMENT
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: CELEBRATE
EDCHOICE PARTNER POST: ABC’S OF SCHOOL CHOICE
PARTNER NOTE FROM PEW: JUVENILE JUSTICE POLICY RESOURCE

Since 1988 we have officially been celebrating March as Women’s History Month. Though in truth our unofficial celebrations trace back much further than that. Women have been passionately fighting for an equal seat at the table for hundreds of years; our grandmothers fought for the right to vote, our mothers fought for a place in the office, and we fight for an even brighter future for our daughters. This month we join women across the nation as we celebrate the hard fought victories that allowed all of us to be proud women legislators. For us, every day at work is a celebration of women’s history.

March is Women’s History Month and what better way to celebrate than by joining NFWL for Celebrating Women in Public Office Day on March 19? Because March is Women’s History Month, there is no better time to celebrate the accomplishments and selfless service of elected women, which is why NFWL launched this proclamation program at its 2017 Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, celebrated with women on March 19, 2018 in 29 cities and municipalities and 17 states, and are continuing the initiative into 2019. Click below for more information.

PROCLAIM THE DAY

Partner Post: EdChoice
Be on the lookout for your 2019 ABCs of School Choice!Curious about school choice in your state or nationally? Wondering how school choice programs are designed and operate?Make sure to be on the lookout for the 2019 ABCs of School Choice, which should be delivered to your office in the coming weeks. We mail copies to every state legislator in America. If you don’t get one, let us know!We publish The ABCs of School Choice each year as a one-stop shop for private educational choice programs in the United States. Not only do we outline how each program works and whom it serves, but we offer our feedback on how it could be changed to help even more families in a particular state.You’ll see in the publication that we organize programs alphabetically by state but also grouped by program type. That’s because we want to make it crystal clear that not all educational choice programs are created equal. Some programs allow more families to choose than others, and some offer more funding for children than others.In addition to the four main types of private school choice—education savings accounts, vouchers, tax-credit scholarships and individual credits and deductions—this year’s edition also includes information about 529 savings accounts, which are privately funded and can now be used for certain K-12 educational expenses.

It’s important to note that we include many definitions of other types of educational choice in the ABCs, but our mission remains full and unencumbered choice as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. We strive to highlight and promote programs that knock down barriers based on school type because we want to level the playing field for all families.

As you learn more about what your state offers—or doesn’t offer—we hope you’ll reach out to us as a resource to learn more about designing a program that helps families in your state access the educational options that work for them.

We also offer a slimmed-down version of this publication—EdChoice 101—that might be useful for your constituents or others who may be new to the topic and want to learn more.

Please contact us to order your free copies of that publication or additional copies of the ABCs.

PARTNER NOTE FROM PEW: Juvenile Justice Policy Resource for Legislators

Principles of Effective Juvenile Justice Policy, a publication of the National Conference of State Legislatures, was developed by a bipartisan work group of 15 state legislators recognized as leaders on juvenile justice issues. It offers principles that are rooted in research, reflect bipartisan or nonpartisan values, and help states invest in proven methods to put justice-involved youth on the right track while keeping communities safe. The principles are illustrated with examples from the states.

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In this Issue

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