John Kirtley, Author at NextSteps: Step Up For Students

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Kirtley

My background story

What I did before joining Step Up For Students

What do I do on my day off?

How to reach out?

09/07/16 | John Kirtley

Reflections on the Florida tax credit scholarship’s 15th birthday

Note: Step Up For Students helps administer Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. It also publishes this blog and employs its editor. I’m not a baseball fan, but I love the...

04/10/14 | John Kirtley

The teacher union’s amusing hypocrisy about Big $ in politics

Editor’s note: This post was originally published as an op-ed in today’s Orlando Sentinel. The state’s tax credit scholarship program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this...

09/27/13 | John Kirtley

John Patrick Julien, warrior for parental school choice, RIP

Some days you hear someone say, “make the most of every day, you never know when it will be your last” – and you think, what a cliché. Then some...

08/26/13 | John Kirtley

Parental school choice spurs surprising reactions from advocates of the poor

As a white person from Iowa, I am always hesitant to write about the racial aspects of ed reform and parental school choice. I feel it is always better to...

08/05/13 | John Kirtley

Peter Flanigan, a guiding light of the school choice movement, R.I.P.

Peter Flanigan, one of the giants of the education reform movement, passed away last week at age 90. The Wall Street Journal featured this tribute in its Saturday edition. Peter unknowingly...

10/12/12 | John Kirtley

A longtime parental choice advocate backpedals like a cornerback in coverage

I was wrong. For 15 years I have dedicated myself to empowering low-income families to choose the best school for their kids. I was the strongest advocate for parental choice...

05/24/12 | John Kirtley

School choice movement can’t give grenades to opponents

Editor’s note: Tuesday’s New York Times story about tax-credit scholarship programs sparked a flurry of reaction from leading school choice supporters, including John Kirtley, who chairs Step Up for Students,...

05/22/12 | John Kirtley

Program design is crucial for tax credit scholarships

Stephanie Saul offered an indictment in the New York Times today of tax credit scholarship programs that have, in my opinion, serious design flaws. These flaws were almost guaranteed to...

02/08/12 | John Kirtley

Is parental choice really the enemy?

Back in December, some of the top elected and appointed officials in Seminole County schools used a public meeting covered by the Orlando Sentinel to blame Florida’s tax credit scholarship for...

11/21/11 | John Kirtley

The legacy of Ted Forstmann

When I graduated college and was lucky enough to get a job at a new venture capital firm, I heard about an emerging kind of investment, the “leveraged buyout.” Unlike...

06/21/11 | John Kirtley

A leader who is changing the conversation of parental choice

Every good leader knows how to spot an individual capable of transformational change, and Howard Fuller saw that in Gerard Robinson nearly 10 years ago. Robinson displayed the conviction to...

05/20/11 | John Kirtley

Facing a harsh truth when fighting for a bipartisan cause

Two different reporters contacted me this week, asking why I contribute so much to candidates who support education options for low-income children. Please allow me to share part of my...

04/29/11 | John Kirtley

Parent Revolution should empower parents with all options

It is wonderful to see the leaders of the Parent Revolution receive this recognition in the Wall Street Journal. I have admired their work from afar, and I had the...

02/25/11 | John Kirtley

The New Face of Choice in Virginia

Virginia is one of several states where parental choice advocates are trying to pass legislation to help low-income families. The challenges in this state are unique, because Virginia has an...

02/24/11 | John Kirtley

New Jersey is ready, Mr. Florio

Many of you are aware that the New Jersey legislature is considering a tax credit scholarship bill modeled on Florida’s successful program. Sponsored by some prominent Democrats, this bill has...

12/07/10 | John Kirtley

We’ll see more school choices with Rhee’s impatience

Rhee has lent her support to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, and she made it clear yesterday that her new advocacy group, Students First, will push for similar programs. Getting...

12/03/10 | John Kirtley

Rick Scott’s choices erase the traditional lines drawn in public education

Tom’s story is a reminder that the traditional lines are forever blurred in public education. He even notes the partnership between our Tax Credit Scholarship program for 33,000 low-income children...