Earlier this week, it was reported that education reform opponents are setting out to do the unthinkable -- they plan to defund and abolish the successful and hugely popular D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to disadvantaged children here in D.C. so they can escape one of the most troubled school systems in the nation.
Not surprisingly, an outcry has arisen from across the ideological spectrum. Just today, the Washington Post's editorial page offered a harsh denunciation of efforts to eliminate the program and strip away the promise of educational opportunity from low-income families in the nation's capital. As the Post editorialized:
For parents such as Patricia William, that means the probable loss of an educational opportunity that has transformed her 11-year-old son. Ms. William is not alone in her praise of the program and in her panic about the possibility of its demise. The voucher pilot is intended to measure and compare children's progress in private schools over a span of several years. But one result already is known: Poor parents do not want their children automatically consigned to failing schools any more than middle-class parents would. Talk to parents and grandparents of children afforded what should not be the luxury of choice and you'll hear stories of thanks and success -- stories of young women such as Tiffany Dunston, this year's valedictorian at Archbishop Carroll High School. Ms. Norton turned a deaf ear to these accounts during a recent meeting, dismissing the scholarship families as "befuddled." Catherine Hill, whose grandson graduated from the Academy for Ideal Education, told us that the only thing the group doesn't understand is why Ms. Norton "hates a program that works so well."
Much, though certainly not all, of the opposition to vouchers is rooted in Democratic interest-group politics and the traditional resistance of teachers unions to change. And that is what should worry [D.C. Mayor Adrian] Fenty. If this worthwhile program can be sacrificed, so can the many vital reforms he and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee are hoping to put in place.
This follows another powerful editorial in defense of this innovative program appearing yesterday in the Wall Street Journal:
Democrats in Congress have finally found a federal program they want to eliminate. And wouldn't you know, it's one that actually works and helps thousands of poor children.
We're speaking of the four-year-old Washington, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program that provides vouchers to about 2,000 low-income children so they can attend religious or other private schools. The budget for the experimental program is $18 million, or about what the U.S. Department of Education spends every hour and a half.
This fight has nothing to do with saving money. But it has a lot to do with election-year politics. Kevin [Chavous], the former D.C. City Council member who sits on the oversight board of the scholarship program, says, "If we were going to do what was best for the kids, then continuing it is a no-brainer. Those kids are thriving." More than 90% of the families express high satisfaction with the program, according to researchers at Georgetown University.
The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created in 2004 with strong bipartisan backing in recognition of the extreme disadvantages facing children in the nation's capital. For families who would otherwise be trapped in underperforming schools, the Opportunity Scholarship Program offers a lifeline, and one that has proven immensely popular with students and their parents alike. Congressional leaders are rallying their support for the program. But ultimately, this is a question of children's interests vs. special interests. The choice should be clear.
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