In 1998, Ted Forstmann and the late John Walton launched the Children's Scholarship Fund, a program that would empower the parents of 40,000 low-income children across the country to send their children to private schools for four years. Now, over ten years later, CSF has provided scholarships worth more than $400 million, in turn changing the lives of more than 111,000 low-income children and their families. We believe we succeed every time parents use one of our scholarships to send their child to the school of their choice.
The pockets of real public education reform in the past ten years have resulted in educational gains for children from the same demographics as those we serve at CSF – everything from longer school days and new ways of recruiting and training teachers, to better technology and high-stakes testing and charter schools. We at CSF applaud all of these efforts, but there are still so many children left in failing public schools. That’s why CSF provides a lifeline NOW to every child we help.
It’s our belief that none of these ideas for public education reform will be nearly as effective or sustainable if parents are not supporting the schools’ efforts at home. Ultimately, schools cannot take over the role of parents, nor should we want them to. So if a CSF parent is not happy with the school, they can transfer their scholarship. By giving families the opportunity to choose the right school for their child, CSF empowers parents to hold the teachers and principals accountable. When parents are fully invested in the efforts and successes of the school, we can change the culture of low expectations and show what is truly possible.
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Our late co-founder John Walton understood the real power that comes from giving families the opportunity to choose a private school and directly invest in their own child’s education. At a meeting with CSF parents in Omaha a few years ago, he said, “You’re the folks that really deserve the credit and respect for reaching as far and trying as hard as you do to do the right things for your kids. It’s a real partnership. I value it. I totally respect what you’re doing and it wouldn’t happen without you.”
Although CSF has no political or religious leaning of its own, it is our desire to support the diverse range of academic, social, cultural, religious, and linguistic aspirations that low-income parents have for their children. By doing so, CSF scholarships help families with fewer means provide their children with an education that meets their needs and is consistent with their values.
Again and again, parents using CSF scholarships tell us how satisfied they are with their children’s schools. According to a U.S. Department of Education study, private school students score higher on standardized tests and are more likely to graduate high school than their public school counterparts. Better yet, children who finished 8th grade in private school are twice as likely to earn a college degree. On top of all that, children in the lowest socio-economic group who attend private school are almost four times as likely to go to college. Studies on our own programs have also shown higher graduation rates and positive benefits in test scores and grades. The scholarships also increase education options by stabilizing enrollments at private schools that provide a safe, academically sound environment in tough inner-city neighborhoods.
CSF makes great efforts to heed what common sense and experts have been telling us for years: the single most important ingredient to educational achievement is committed parents. By allowing parents the fullest possible range of educational options and requiring them to share in the cost, CSF is making a direct investment in parental responsibility and involvement.
The financial commitment CSF parents make gives them “skin in the game,” an essential bridge to success. Nationwide, CSF families have an average annual income of $29,488 and pay an average of $2,127 on their own for tuition. In New York, where we have more than 9,000 scholarship recipients, the average annual income for CSF families is about $25,182. Still, CSF parents are willing to contribute at least the $500 minimum we require, and most end up paying about $1,437. Each scholarship is calculated on a sliding scale; depending on a family’s size and income, they receive 25%, 50% or 75% of the tuition, but nobody gets a full scholarship.
Like more affluent parents who can move to a good public school district or afford a private school, CSF parents recognize that providing their children with a good education puts them on the path to future success and security. As a result, they are willing to do whatever they can to raise that extra money. These families become our partners, rather than just recipients. In turn, this makes our scholarships a hand-up, not a hand-out.
