State Superintendent of Education Dr. Mick Zais will join students, parents, teachers and community leaders at a National School Choice Week whistle-stop event in Columbia on Thursday, January 23, organizers announced today.

Dr. Zais will deliver remarks at the luncheon, which is one of 14 events along the National School Choice Week whistle-stop train and motor coach tour. The event will be held at 12:30 p.m. at 701 Whaley Street, and is free to attend. (RSVP at www.schoolchoicetrain.com)

The goal of the event is to demonstrate support for school choice and educational opportunity in South Carolina and across the country. National School Choice Week -- which will feature more than 5,500 independently-planned events across the country -- will be the nation's largest-ever celebration of educational opportunity. The Week shines a positive spotlight on effective education options for children, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online learning and homeschooling.

Additional speakers include Beth Purcell, National President of PublicSchoolOptions.org; Rabbi Hesh Epstein of Columbia Jewish Day School; Ellen Weaver from the Palmetto Policy Forum; Jonathan Alston from StudentsFirst; and Victoria Dixon of Carolina School for Inquiry. The event will include performances from students from Hope Christian Academy, Carolina Springs Elementary School, and Provost Academy.

"More families in South Carolina are actively choosing schools for their children than at any other time in history," said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. "But there are still tens of thousands of families across The Palmetto State that need and deserve educational opportunities. This event will demonstrate to South Carolina and the nation that school choice works, and that parents and families need even greater opportunities."

The event is hosted by National School Choice Week in partnership with American Federation for Children, Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina, Foundation for Excellence in Education, Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, GreatSchools.org, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Palmetto Policy Forum, Parent Revolution, Provost Academy, PublicSchoolOptions.org, StudentsFirst and Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina.

National School Choice Week (Jan. 26 - Feb. 1, 2014) is an independent public awareness campaign designed to shine a spotlight on effective education options for children. For more information, visit www.schoolchoiceweek.com or follow NSCW on Twitter at www.twitter.com/schoolchoicewk.

National School Choice Week
Allison Schneider, 800-640-2671 ext. 104
allison@schoolchoiceweek.com