I Am Here To Make A Difference For My People
"I am here to make a difference for my people. I hope that you listen to what I have to say. I want people like you to stop judging me." Tres Whitlock
StateImpact Florida A Finalist For Innovative, Investigative Journalism Award
From our investigation: Tres Whitlock types on the DynaVox tablet that serves as his voice. Whitlock, 17, has cerebral palsy and can’t speak on his own. He tried to enroll in a Hillsborough County charter school, but the school had concerns about the the
Ollibean Mama Spotlight
Connect and learn with other parents like Tonya who presume competence and celebrate their children for being exactly who they are. #allofakind
Florida Charter Schools Failing Students With Disabilities
Tres Whitlock is stuck in a public school where he feels ignored. He wants out. The 17-year-old would-be video game designer researched his options online and found his perfect match – Pivot Charter School. “It’s computer-based and I think I will do better,” he says. But when Whitlock tried to enroll the school he found a series of barriers in his way.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools. One in 17 Florida students attended a charter school last year, a number that has increased almost six-fold in a decade. The original charter school model focused on local leaders forming an oversight board and spelling out the school’s mission, goals and methodology in a contract or charter.