Since 2004, many Hispanic children in D.C. have been given theopportunity of a lifetime: a scholarship to attend a privateschool. Five years after the program began, growing evidence isshowing that it is making a huge impact in these children's lives.Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether Congress and the ObamaAdministration will allow the successful program to go forward.
American education is at a crossroads. The federal government’s role in education has grown significantly over the past half-century, infringing on our long-held principle of federalism in education. Massive spending increases, and the reams of regulations that accompany them, have not led to better results. Meaningful reforms like school choice, moreover, have been stymied by special interests. To restore a sense of self-government, empower families, and yield educational excellence, it is imperative that educational authority be returned to states and local leaders and parents.
The evidence in favor of the positive benefits of school choice grew considerably stronger this month with the release of a new methodologically rigorous evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is a school voucher program in Washington, D.C. set up by Congress, which provides students with scholarships to attend private schools of choice.
The document outlines the President’s agenda for a government that allegedly will bring “opportunity, growth, and security” through higher federal spending, cuts in the armed forces, more than $1 trillion in tax hikes, and broad government overreach into the affairs of individuals, businesses, and localities.