Senator Tim Scott To Host National School Choice Forum on Capitol Hill Leading School Choice Advocates to Discuss How to Promote Academic Excellence for Every Child

Washington - U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), a leading voice on school choice in the U.S. Senate, will bring together nationally recognized school choice advocates, experts, and practitioners, as well as parents and students, for “Choosing Excellence: A Forum on the Freedom to Choose Academic Excellence for Every Child.” The daylong forum, held on February 9th in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, will discuss the urgency of promoting academic excellence for every child, regardless of family income, socio-economic status or background. “Each child in America deserves access to the very best education so they can maximize their potential,” Senator Scott, a member of the Senate Education Committee, said. “Sadly, that’s not happening in every community for every child, and we simply must do better.  As such, I am pleased to bring together an impressive group of school choice advocates and experts from across the nation and my home state of South Carolina to talk about how we can promote real academic excellence for every child.”    “Choosing Excellence” is sponsored in partnership with the American Federation for Children and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. A more detailed agenda will be released next week during National School Choice Week. Speakers and panelists include: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander (TN) House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) Congressional School Choice Caucus Chair Luke Messer (IN) Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal Former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige Palmetto Policy Forum President and CEO Ellen Weaver South Carolina State Senator Larry Grooms Capital Preparatory Magnet School Founder and Principal Steve Perry American Enterprise Institute Education Policy Studies Director Frederick Hess Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice President & CEO Robert Enlow American Federation for Children Executive Counsel and former DC Councilman Kevin Chavous National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nina Rees Senator Scott added, “I want to thank our partners, the American Federation for Children and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, and our outstanding panelists for the time and energy they dedicate everyday to making sure our nation’s children have the best educational opportunities possible. I look forward to hearing their ideas and solutions at the forum.” Logistics WHAT: Senator Tim Scott’s “Choosing Excellence” Forum on School Choice WHEN: February 9, 2015, 9:45AM-3:15PM WHERE: Hart Senate Office Building, Room 902 Washington, DC, 20510 RSVP: Those interested in attending should email ChoiceForum@Scott.Senate.Gov, or call Senator Scott’s office at (202) 224-6121. Media should RSVP to scott_press@scott.senate.gov, or call (202) 224-2718.