Will the Grinches Have a Change of Heart about the D.C. Voucher Program?

Dan Lips / December 18, 2009

In “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Dr. Suess teaches children that even the most cold-hearted among us can find good in their hearts, especially during the holidays. Despite a series of recent setbacks, hundreds of low-income kids in Washington, DC are holding out hope that the Grinches on Capitol Hill who are working to kill the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program will have a similar change of heart.

Last week, the House and Senate approved an Omnibus spending bill that includes legislative language that effectively ends the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, which has helped thousands of low-income children attend private schools in the nation’s capital (and which has been found by a federally-mandated evaluation to improve participating students’ reading achievement). The legislation will prevent any new children from receiving scholarships—putting the program on course to die slowly over time. (more…)