The families of the 1,900 children participating in the D.C.Opportunity Scholarship program breathed a sigh of relief when theCongressional Appropriations Committee approved funding to providescholarships for another school year.
At a conference last spring, Nobel Laureate economist MiltonFriedman reflected on the state of education reform and themovement to implement widespread school choice. Ever the optimist,Dr. Friedman expressed confidence that America was close toembracing his vision of widespread parental choice in education.What was needed, Dr. Friedman argued, was for one state toimplement universal school choice. Once that happened, other statesand communities would begin to follow suit.
In a November address to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Education Secretary Arne Duncan talked about doing a better job of working with Health and Human Services to ensure successful early education reform. Duncan stated, "If we are going to do what works - and abandon what doesn't - early learning systems need to document, assess and adapt more readily."
For years, education reformers have struggled to find strategies toimprove opportunities for disadvantaged children and eliminate theachievement gap between minority students and their peers. OnCapitol Hill, decades of new programs and increased governmentspending on education have failed to achieve significantimprovement.