News outlets and the blogosphere have been abuzz lately about the impact that President Obama’s 2014 Budget plan will have on education. Of particular note is funding, or lack thereof, to the highly successful and popular D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP).
According to a press release by the American Federation for Children, upwards of 90 percent of opportunity scholarship students have graduated from high school and 89 percent have enrolled in college. Since the 2004-2005 school year, the OSP has granted scholarships for income restricted families, almost 100 percent of which would be zoned into a school in need of improvement. Funding exists for around 2,000 children but only 1,600 students participated this year because of implementation challenges.
This years budget only includes funding for evaluation and program administration, leading to greater concerns over the programs ability to accommodate a sufficient number of applications.
Voucher resources:
Congress to restore D.C. school vouchers, Washington Examiner, June 8, 2012
71% of Moms Support Vouchers, Washington Times, May 9, 2012
Study: Vouchers Boost College Attainment Brookings Institution, 2012