Virginia Walden Ford Earns Lifetime Achievement Award
The school choice advocate was surprised with the award in D.C.
July 23, 2019
Little Rock, Ark. — Educational opportunity advocate Virginia Walden Ford was recently recognized with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Coalition for Public School Options. Ford was a keynote speaker at the organization’s annual Parent Conference held in Washington D.C., where she was surprised with the award.
QUOTE FROM PSO
About Virginia Walden Ford
Virginia Walden Ford is a leading advocate for improved educational opportunities in America’s schools, especially for low-income children. As a single parent, Virginia organized a group of parent advocates who demanded more school options for their children. That initiative led to the 2003 passage of the nation’s first-ever Opportunity Scholarship Program that benefited children in Washington, D.C. This program provides scholarships for low-income children to attend private schools, while boosting federal funding for traditional public schools and public charter schools. Since the program’s inception, thousands of students have received Opportunity Scholarships, and the program boasts a 91 percent high school graduation rate. Virginia continues to speak up for families and school choice programs nationwide and she is the subject of the 2019 film “Miss Virginia” starring Uzo Aduba, Matthew Modine, Vanessa Williams, Amirah Vann and Niles Fitch.
About the National Coalition for Public School Options
PSO recognized Virginia for being a “tireless advocate for school choice”