DC STUDENTS TESTIFY ON CAPITOL HILL
Students and parents of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last week. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said: “If (the Opportunity Scholarship Program) is working well enough for the children who are continuing in the program until they graduate from school, then it should also be continued for new generations of students.”

The program does work! The U.S. Department of Education's released a report last month that found that, after three years, students who were offered vouchers to go to private school through the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program had made statistically significant gains in reading achievement and parents were more satisfied with their child's education.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WITHDRAWLS OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NEW STUDENTS
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that no scholarships would be awarded to new students for the upcoming school year. The parents of approximately 200 children received letters that their children's scholarship offer had been withdrawn. The notification sent parents scrambling to find quality schools for their kids for the upcoming school year. At the same time, new reports show that President Obama, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and many Members of Congress value school choice, at least when it comes to their own children's schooling.

DC STUDENTS RALLY FOR THEIR SCHOLARSHIPS!
Last Week in Washington , DC there was a rally for School Choice organized by DC Children F1rst. DC Councilman Marion Berry, Former Mayor Anthony Williams and even popular R&B recording artists Ginuwine and Mya attended and the message to lawmakers was clear - Put Kids First!

What is also clear is that by effectively killing the Opportunity Scholarship Program will put kids last. The rally overall was very positive because the kids and parents were happy with their education. Why take that away from them?

WALKER, TEXAS RANGER SUPPORTS SCHOOL CHOICE
Congress's termination of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program after the 2009-10 school year has brought the issue of school choice into the public debate not only in Washington, DC, but also all across the country, in states like New Jersey, Indiana, Kansas and Minnesota.

Even Chuck Norris joined the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program debate. He asks lawmakers: “Why did they nix the program, especially when recent studies showed that students receiving vouchers since the program's inception were academically 18.9 months ahead of their peers? And why would Congress phase out a program that costs $7,500 per student annually, compared to the $15,000 it cost in Washington 's public schools to educate a child?” Read More.

LAWMAKERS PRACTICE SCHOOL CHOICE
A recent study by the Heritage Foundation found that 38 percent of members of the U.S. Congress have at one time practiced school choice for their children. 20 percent of members themselves attended private schools, including Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) who authored the language that will eliminate the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program after the 2009-10 school year. Read the full report here.

Political leaders send their kids to good schools, yet deny that option to others, including the poor.

JUAN WILLIAMS: OBAMA'S OUTRAGEOUS SIN AGAINST OUR KIDS
Fox News Contributor Juan Williams wrote this week: “This reckless dismantling of the D.C. voucher program… does not speak well of the promise of President Obama to be the “Education President,' who once seemed primed to stand up for all children who want to learn and especially minority children.” (More).

DUNCAN, OBAMA TAKE AWAY DC SCHOLARSHIPS
Education Secretary Arne Duncan will not to offer vouchers for new students in the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, after Congress voted to eliminate the program after next year. This is devastating news to more than 200 parents who were told they would have the opportunity to choose a safe and effective school for their child for the 2009-10 school year.

Former Washington, DC mayor Anthony A. Williams and former Democratic member of the D.C. Council Kevin Chavous discuss the problems with the DC public schools and the need for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. Read the full article here.

DC SCHOOL CHOICE: IT WORKS!
The U.S. Department of Education’s released a report last week that found that, after three years, students who were offered vouchers to go to private school through the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program had made statistically significant gains in reading achievement.

Specifically, the IES report found that “those offered a scholarship were performing at statistically higher levels in reading—equivalent to 3.1 months of additional learning.” Like previous evaluations, it also found that “the [DCOSP] had a positive impact overall on parents’ reports of school satisfaction and safety…” The report is accessible here.

TIME FOR CONGRESS TO ACT
Key members of Congress, including California Senator Diane Feinstein, have said that the results of this academic evaluation should determine whether Congress renews the program.

Congress inserted language in the recently-enacted Omnibus bill that placed the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program on tract to end after the next school year unless Congress (and the D.C. City Council) authorizes the program.

In the wake of this report, Members of Congress and the Obama administration must now answer a simple question: do they really
want to terminate a $14 million program that is improving the reading achievement of low-income, minority children in the nation’s capital?

WALDEN FORD SPEAKS AT REV. SHARPTON’S EDUCATION CONVENTION
Last week, Executive Director of DC Parents for School Choice, Virginia Walden Ford, spoke at Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in New York City. The conference covered many topics, including how to improve education. Other convention speakers included Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan.

WALDEN FORD COLUMN FEATURED IN NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE
Executive Director of DC Parents for School Choice, Virginia Walden Ford discusses why school choice is worth fighting for in the nation's capitol, writing "generations of children have passed through the District’s public schools without being prepared to succeed in life."
Read Virginia Walden Ford's entire column at National Review Online.

NOTRE DAME GRADS FIGHT FOR SCHOOL CHOICE
Graduates of the University of Notre Dame's ACE Fellowship program, which supports Catholic education, have launched a new blog to mobilize support for school choice programs, including the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. For more information, click here.

DC STUDENTS: SAVE OUR SCHOLARSHIPS
The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program is under threat. The program that has helped thousands of low-income families choose a safe and effective learning environment for their children since 2004 is being eliminated by members of Congress.

DC Opportunity Scholarship recipients decided to write letters to President Obama asking him to take a stand and to continue to invest in their future through the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

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