Gov. Scott Walker & Mayor Tom Barrett Join Together to Celebrate National School Choice Week at Special "Whistle-Stop" Event in Milwaukee on January 30th

MILWAUKEE --(Business Wire)--

The nation's first cross-country, whistle-stop train tour in support of school choice will make a key stop in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Jan. 30, and an unprecedented coalition of schools and education groups are preparing to celebrate. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will join Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Gregory E. Thornton and City Council President Willie Hines, Jr. as speakers at the event.

More than 350 students, parents, teachers, elected officials and community members will participate in a rally and breakfast reception at the Grain Exchange on Jan. 30 at 8:30 a.m. The event will celebrate National School Choice Week and spotlight the benefits of parental choice in Milwaukee across public schools, public charter schools, private schools and digital learning.

"Milwaukee demonstrates to America that when students, parents, teachers and community leaders work together and put the interests of children first, anything is possible," said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. "Our whistle-stop event will celebrate effective choices from all sectors of education: traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, virtual academies and homeschooling."

National School Choice Week is planning the event in cooperatio with GreatSchools, the Black Alliance For Educational Options, Democrats For Education Reform, Hispanics For School Choice, Milwaukee Charter School Advocates, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Milwaukee Public Schools, School Choice Wisconsin, Schools That Can, the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association, K12, and the Association of American Educators.

This is the third annual National School Choice Week. Planned by a diverse, bipartisan coalition of citizens and organizations, National School Choice Week 2013, runs from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2 and will feature more than 3,500 events spanning all 50 states.

Supporters of National School Choice Week believe that states must do more to expand access to challenging and motivating educational options, from high-performing public schools to public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, digital and online learning and homeschooling.

The National School Choice Week 'Special' is scheduled to travel through the following cities, each of which will host whistle-stop-themed events with parents, students and dynamic speakers:

Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) (Friday, Jan. 25)
Albuquerque, NM (Saturday, Jan. 26)
Topeka, KS (Monday, Jan. 28)
Kansas City, MO (Monday, Jan. 28)
Chicago, IL (Tuesday, Jan. 29)
Milwaukee, WI (Wednesday, Jan. 30)
South Bend, IN (Wednesday, Jan. 30)
Toledo, OH (Thursday, Jan. 31)
Cleveland, OH (Thursday, Jan. 31)
Erie, PA (Thursday, Jan. 31)
Buffalo, NY (Friday, Jan. 1)
Rochester, NY (Friday, Feb. 1)
Albany, NY (Friday, Feb. 1)
New York, NY (Saturday, Feb. 2)

Track the tour's progress, and check out exclusive photos and videos, online at www.schoolchoiceweek.com/train. Follow the tour on Twitter (News - Alert) at @SCWSpecial, and Tweet about the tour with the hashtags #SCW and #whistlestop.

www.schoolchoiceweek.com
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