Voices of school choice

A U.S. Education Department study released yesterday found that District students who were given vouchers to attend private schools outperformed public school peers on reading tests, findings likely to reignite debate over the fate of the controversial program.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement that the Obama administration does not want to pull participating students out of the program but does not support its continuation.

-- Maria Glob, Washington Post

So it's perplexing that Mr. Duncan, without any further discussion or analysis, would be so quick to kill a program that is supported by local officials and that has proven popular with parents. Unless, of course, politics enters the calculation in the form of Democratic allies in Congress who have been shameless in their efforts to kill vouchers. Most recently, they inserted language in the omnibus budget bill that cuts off funding after the next school year unless Congress and the District government reauthorize the program.

We've made no secret of our support for vouchers. They are no substitute for serious public school reform, but they give low-income, mostly minority, parents what wealthier people take for granted: a choice in where their children go to school.

-- The editors of the Washington Post

Charter advocates criticize the 1998 Virginia law and 2003 Maryland law that give local school boards most or all of the power to grant charters. That's like "going to McDonald's, asking them to approve a Burger King across the street," said Don Soifer of the Lexington Institute, a conservative think tank in Arlington County.

-- Daniel de Wise, Washington Post

The latest federal study of the D.C. voucher program finds that voucher students have pulled significantly ahead of their public school peers in reading and perform at least as well as public school students in math. It also reports that the average tuition at the voucher schools is $6,620. That is ONE QUARTER what the District of Columbia spends per pupil on education ($26,555), according to the District's own 2009 budget.

-- Andrew Coulsen, Cato Institute

The chances of a Democratic-controlled Congress, heavily influenced by teachers unions, renewing a D.C. school voucher plan that was put in place by a Republican Congress and President George W. Bush in 2004 are about as good as a herd of elephants flying.

-- Colbert King, Washington Post

Opponents of school choice for poor children have long claimed they'd support vouchers if there was evidence that they work. While running for President last year, Mr. Obama told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that if he saw more proof that they were successful, he would "not allow my predisposition to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn . . . You do what works for the kids." Except, apparently, when what works is opposed by unions.

Mr. Duncan's office spurned our repeated calls and emails asking what and when he and his aides knew about these results. We do know the Administration prohibited anyone involved with the evaluation from discussing it publicly. You'd think we were talking about nuclear secrets, not about a taxpayer-funded pilot program. A reasonable conclusion is that Mr. Duncan's department didn't want proof of voucher success to interfere with Senator Dick Durbin's campaign to kill vouchers at the behest of the teachers unions.

-- The editors of the Wall Street Journal

USDoE buried a positive report on the DC voucher plan until after Congress voted to kill the program; then finally released it late on a Friday with negative spin. Boo, Arne Duncan!!

-- Clint Bolick, Goldwater Institute