District Parents Know Why the Program Should Continue

As persistent advocates of constitutionally permissible aid to those families with children in non-public schools, we at the OU are pleased to see op/eds such as this one appearing in the press.

Washington Post Editorial – Early surveys of D.C. parents of children receiving federal school vouchers showed many of them liked the program because they believed their children were in safe schools. Over time, a new study shows, their satisfaction has deepened to include an appreciation for small class sizes, rich curricula and positive change in their sons and daughters. Above all, what parents most value is the freedom to choose where their children go to school.

Here, for example, is what one parent told University of Arkansas researchers studying the District’s Opportunity Scholarship Program: “I know for a fact they would never have received this kind of education at a public school. . . . I listen to them when they talk, and what they are saying, and they articulate better than I do, and I know it’s because of the school, and I like that about them, and I’m proud of them.” Overall, researchers found that choice boosts parents’ involvement in their children’s education.

To read this article in its entirety, please click here.

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