Sixteen schools across the Kansas City area opened their doors to families on Saturday as part of National School Choice Week 2022. Each participating school held an open house showcasing its program and what makes it a good choice.
The open houses came as, for the first time last year, charter school enrollment surpassed the enrollment of Kansas City Public Schools. The growth in charter schools is being fueled by African-American families seeking better, and safer, educational options for their children.
Participating schools included Academie Lafayette, Academy for Integrated Arts, Brookside Charter School, Citizens of the World, Cristo Rey Kansas City High School, Crossroads Charter Schools, De LaSalle Education Center, earlystART, Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center, Ewing Marion Kauffman School, Genesis, Gordon Parks Elementary, Guadalupe Middle School, Hogan Preparatory Academy, Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy and KC International Academy.
“The School Saturday event is essential to parents in the Kansas City area to make an informed educational choice for their families,” said Robyn King, director of SchoolAppKC at Show Me KC Schools. “This provides an opportunity for families and school staff that may not have had the availability during the school day to share vital information about school programming.”
This year, 16 of the SchoolAppKC schools participated with 21 campus locations for the community to visit during the citywide open houses.”
The event was planned by SchoolAppKC in conjunction with a diverse array of Kansas City schools. SchoolAppKC is designed to streamline the school application process for families in the Kansas City Public Schools boundaries. It is a special project of Show Me KC Schools, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help parents understand their school options. National School Choice Week shines a spotlight on effective K-12 education options for children, focusing equally on traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private and home education options.
Every January, participants plan tens of thousands of celebrations — such as school fairs and open houses — to raise awareness about school choice across all 50 states. School Choice Week also develops resources and guides to K-12 education for families. As a not-for-profit effort, the week is nonpolitical and nonpartisan and does not advocate for legislation. For more information visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com.
Alan Goforth | Metro Voice