The month of March closed with a victorious week for schoolchildren and families across the nation. School choice bills passed in both Washington, D.C., and in Indiana to expand educational options for students. In Washington, the SOAR Act sailed through the House on a 225–195 vote, reauthorizing and expanding the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP), which has been under attack by the Obama Administration for the last two years. In Indiana, legislation that has been cited as the “broadest” voucher expansion bill in the country similarly won hands-down in …
This morning, families, students and community members gathered at the Capitol to show their support for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which is currently being phased-out by the Obama administration. Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Susan Collins hosted a press conference to discuss the impact of the successful program, which has greatly improved the academic achievement of participating students, ensured their safety while at school, and maintained strong support among District residents. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which has helped 3,300 low-income, primarily African American and Latino students gain access …
Congress is expected to soon approve legislation that threatens to end the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program—the federal school voucher program that has helped thousands of disadvantaged children attend a safe and effective school of their parents’ choice. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program has proven to be highly popular and effective. A federal evaluation published by the Department of Education reported that students receiving scholarships made statistically significant improvement in reading achievement compared to their peers who remained in public school. A broad, bipartisan coalition—including a majority if the D.C. city …
D.C. families filled a Senate conference room on Thursday to applaud Senator Joseph Lieberman’s (I-CT) introduction of a bill reauthorizing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program. The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act would reauthorize the program for another five years, and allows new students to continue to enter the program over that time period. Senators Lieberman, Collins (R-ME), and Voinovich (R-OH) unveiled the bipartisan bill alongside former Mayor Anthony Williams, and former D.C. City Councilmember Kevin Chavous. If passed, the SOAR Act would reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, …
Talk about the audacity of “nope.” “When parents recognize which schools are failing to educate their children,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan wrote in a guest column in The Wall Street Journal, “they will demand more effective options for their kids.” Americans “must close the achievement gap by pursuing what works best for kids, regardless of ideology,” Duncan urged, echoing a theme of President Barack Obama’s address to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “In the path to a better education system, that’s the only test that really matters.” What about the …
