The Parent Voice Project: 600 Families Strong

What Happens When We Ask Parents What They Actually Want

May 16, 2025

The marble steps of our state capitol are polished to a shine, worn down by thousands of expensive shoes. Last week, as I sat on those steps after back-to-back meetings with the Attorney General and the Governor's budget office, I couldn't shake what I was hearing echoing in my head.

Lawmakers talking about our kids, our schools, our choices—but not talking to us.

Here's the thing about being from Western PA—we don't wait for permission to fix what's broken. So I set out with a simple plan: gather the voices of families who use public cyber charter schools and bring their stories directly to the marble halls where decisions get made.

I planned for 25 responses. Within days, we had over 600.

Six hundred families. Six hundred stories. Six hundred voters who love their children more than they love political games.

Let that sink in. That's not a petition where someone clicks "sign." That's not a form letter. That's parents—many working multiple jobs, helping with homework, making dinner—who took precious time to tell their stories because they're tired of being ignored.

Why These Questions Matter

We asked parents ten straightforward questions about their cyber charter experience:

Forms response chart. Question title: Are you currently the parent/caregiver of a student enrolled in a PA public cyber charter school? . Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Top Reason for Leaving your former school. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Would you enroll your child back in your local school district in the future? . Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Before enrolling in the cyber charter, how satisfied were you with your local school district? . Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: For how many full school years has your child been enrolled in a PA public cyber charter school?. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Please rate your current level of anxiety related to your child's education. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: To what extent does your child's current educational situation contribute to overall family stress? . Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Please rate your perception of your child's current level of stress related to learning in the cyber charter environment. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Thinking back to before your child enrolled in the cyber charter school, how would you rate your family's overall quality of life?. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Considering your child's current educational situation in the cyber charter school, how would you rate your family's overall quality of life?. Number of responses: 614 responses.

Each question was designed not just to collect data, but to capture the human story behind the numbers. Because education isn't about spreadsheets and funding formulas—it's about children and families.

The Real Fight Isn't About Money

Let's be honest—everyone in education likes to talk about funding. But this isn't really about money. It's about power. It's about who gets to decide what's best for your child.

The education establishment doesn't mind choice as long as they're the ones doing the choosing. They don't mind options as long as they control the options.

But here's what I learned from 600 families: Parents don't care about the politics. They care about their kids.

They're not interested in the turf wars between different types of public schools. They just want what works for their child—whether that's traditional public, cyber charter, brick-and-mortar charter, or something else entirely.

What Happens Next

I'm delivering these results to every lawmaker who claims to represent these families. I'm challenging them to look beyond the lobbyists and listen to the parents.

Because here's the deal—while the education establishment has money and organization, we have something stronger. We have parents who will do anything for their children.

How You Can Help

Share these survey results with your networks
Contact your representatives and ask if they've seen these results
Share your own story with us so we can amplify your voice
Join our parent advocacy network through Candy Apple Advocacy

The marble halls of power may be polished by expensive shoes, but they're owned by working boots.

It's time we reminded them of that.

Jim Malliard serves as Chief Strategist for Education Legislation and Parent Advocacy with Candy Apple Advocacy.

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