Sometimes persistence pays off.
After having announced an end to the Washington, D.C., school voucher program that allowed children in failing schools to attend the private or public school of their choice, the Obama administration has relented.
Speaker John Boehner and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman have announced an agreement with the Department of Education to resume the program with no specific cap on enrollment. Previously, the department had said kids already in it could finish, but there would be no new admissions. The teachers' unions were happy. The parents and children were outraged.
There are bills in 13 states that would allow school choice and several states or localities are already operating voucher programs. In most cases, the turnaround in education achievement has been profound and dramatic.
The Obama administration didn't give in because they've changed their mind. It was pressure from a bipartisan coalition of people who want children, not politics or unions, put first.
I'm Cal Thomas.
Publication date: June 21, 2012
