Vouchers

The Department of Education recently released the second year impact evaluation of Washington, D.C.'s Opportunity Scholarship Program. This federally funded program--a fancy name for vouchers--provides randomly selected low-income students living in the District of Columbia a scholarship, or voucher, worth up to $7,500 to attend the private school of their choice. The report has generated response from national and local political figures on both sides of the voucher debate. D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton believes the program should be cut because of school accountability issues, while Council Member Marion Barry supports the program because he believes it increases educational opportunities for D.C.'s children. The fact that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarships Program is up for Congressional reauthorization further intensifies these debates. Beyond the political rigmarole, we at Ed Money Watch believe that the program, and the resulting study, should continue through the full five years to further inform the debate surrounding voucher programs and their impact on academic progress.