Publisher: Putting a face to the reform push

Published May 31, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated May 31, 2012)

As the legislative session winds down, Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister says we have seen historic reforms made in education, building on a battle that emerged 20 years ago on behalf of children and parents. "The idea then, as it was this session for Gov. Bobby Jindal and other reformers, was to provide parents more choices to help their children get a good education and pursue their dreams," McCollister says in his latest column. "People can discuss theories, and politicians can pontificate, but in the end, what are the real results in people's lives? The battles for this cause have been hard, and one wonders some days, Is it worth it? Does it make a difference?" For McCollister, the answer to those questions is affirmed in the story of David Thomas, who was among the first students in Louisiana to have the choice of attending a charter school in the late 1990s, when his mother, Alean, enrolled him at Children's Charter School in Baton Rouge. "This May, they reached a glorious milestone, which I had the pleasure of witnessing and celebrating. David graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience," McCollister says. "This summer, David is back in Baton Rouge and working at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. He is preparing to start graduate courses at LSU this fall. Looking at David in that cap and gown with his mom is a real picture of reform—and proof the fight is worth it." Read more about Thomas' academic journey in McCollister's full column here; and send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.