PHILADELPHIA — President Donald Trump turned a Philadelphia fourth-grader into a poster child for the school-choice movement Tuesday when he told the nation thousands of students were “trapped in failing government schools” and announced that she was finally getting a scholarship to attend the school of her choice.
But the student, Janiyah Davis, already attends one of the city’s most sought-after charter schools, the Inquirer has learned. In September, months before she was an honored guest at Trump’s State of the Union Address, she entered Math, Science and Technology Community Charter School III.
MaST III opened in the fall in a gleaming facility on the site of the former Crown Cork and Seal headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia, part of a charter network so popular that the school received 6,500 applications for 100 seats next year. Davis is one of 900 students attending the school. Like all charters, it's part of the public school system and is independently run but funded by taxpayers.
How she landed in the audience during Trump's prime time speech Tuesday remains a bit of a mystery to even Janiyah's mother, Stephanie Davis.
In a phone interview Friday, Davis, a teacher's assistant who lives in Northeast Philadelphia, said she received a call several weeks ago from the principal at Janiyah's former school, Olney Christian.
After attending public kindergarten, Janiyah moved to Olney Christian for first through third grades. She received a partial scholarship, Davis said, but it was still a struggle to afford. So, Janiyah transferred to MaST III after she was accepted last summer.
The principal at Olney Christian told Davis someone had contacted her asking about students with financial issues who "may be up for scholarships," Davis said.
Then, she got a call from a man, "saying pretty much the same thing that the principal said," and telling Davis to expect a call from the White House.
When a call came in from Washington, "I was kind of hesitant to answer. I thought it was a scam," Davis said. She was told she had an invitation to the White House, but didn't quite believe it, until she received an official email confirming that she and Janiyah were invited to the State of the Union.
Davis said she had no idea she and Janiyah would be named during Trump's speech. She had been told there was the possibility of her daughter receiving a scholarship, but "I never knew that it was going to be this big," she said.
Janiyah, left, and Stephanie Davis of Philadelphia, stand as they are recognized by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP
Trump pointed to Janiyah in pushing for expanded school choice — an issue popular with conservatives and advocates who believe all students should have the right to attend a school of their choosing, paid for with government money.
"For too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools," Trump said. "To rescue these students," he said 18 states had created scholarship programs — "so popular that tens of thousands of students remain on a waiting list."
"One of those students is Janiyah Davis, a fourth grader from Philadelphia," Trump said. "Janiyah's mom, Stephanie, is a single parent. She would do anything to give her daughter a better future."
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Because of a scholarship personally paid for by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the president told Janiyah Tuesday night, "you will soon be headed to the school of your choice."
When Trump said their names, Davis said she was "really surprised" and "honored."
She was also surprised that Janiyah was chosen to receive a scholarship: "I don't view MaST as a school you want to get out of at all. I view it as a great opportunity." She isn't sure whether Janiyah will stay at MaST, saying she and her daughter are still discussing their options.
Asked why Janiyah was selected for a scholarship despite already attending a school in a high-performing charter network, Angela Morabito, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education, said, “Education freedom is about going to the best school for your child. Even the ‘best’ school, as ranked by statistics and averages, isn’t the best fit for every child. Each of the 50,000 kids waiting for a new opportunity in Pennsylvania has different needs and goals, let alone the millions of students across America stuck in a school that isn’t right for them.”
By Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)