My Cousin: A School Choice Success Story

My cousin graduated today from the Digital Arts and Technology Academy (DATA) here in Albuquerque. More than four years ago, when I got to Albuquerque, he was headed to high school and was not finding either the situation in terms of school size or studies that he was looking for. This was no small matter as he had already been held back a grade and he was not enthusiastic about high school. The last thing we wanted was for him to become yet another New Mexico dropout.

So, with a little help from Lisa Grover and the New Mexico Coalition For Charter Schools, we found DATA, which is a vocational charter focused on the film and computer animation. Now, he has graduated. I’m certainly pleased that we have some type of school choice in New Mexico in the form of charter schools, but we have a long way to go before New Mexico — or any other state — realizes the benefits of a truly “free market” education system.