After middle-schooler Tiffany Dunston lost her cousin in a tragic act of violence, the Washington, D.C., 13-year-old vowed to carry on his legacy and make her family proud.
She sought out D.C.’s Opportunity Scholarship and used the voucher program to attend Archbishop Carroll High School, a private Catholic school in the northeastern part of the city. Her traditional public school wasn’t a good fit, but at Carroll she excelled.
Unfortunately the futures of students like Tiffany are in jeopardy if Congress doesn’t act. The Opportunity Scholarship Program that afforded her the chance to attend a private school is funded by the federal government, and that means politics might get in the way of a child’s future.
In March, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed a bill to reauthorize the program. But it still needs to pass the full House and Senate, which failed to move on the measure before breaking for Easter recess.
Supporters of the program are hopeful: the OSP has the support of the president, secretary of education, and congressional leaders. But in this complicated political environment, anything is possible.
Thankfully, extending the program, which started in 2004, is a no-brainer.
Since the program started, 6,000 students have received vouchers to use toward public school tuition, making the dreams of their disadvantaged families a reality. For about $20 million per year in federal funding, students in the program get up to $12,679 for private high school or $8,452 for elementary and middle school.
The results are clear: A 2010 study found that students who attended private school through the OSP graduated at a higher rate (82 percent) than students who applied but didn’t get a scholarship through the program’s lottery (70 percent). In some D.C. public schools, less than half of all students graduate.
Critics of the program, like D.C.’s nonvoting representative in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, claim the program has failed to raise student achievement, citing that the 2010 study found no increase in student test scores. Apparently standardized tests mean more to Norton than a student graduating from high school.
Of course, for most parents, choosing to send their student to a different school isn’t about test scores. A 2013 study from EdChoice surveyed parents who took part in a Georgia private school choice program, finding that just 10 percent of parents named higher standardized-test scores as one of their top five reasons for choosing a private school. None named it their top reason.
What mattered most to parents? About half of parents named a better learning environment, better discipline, smaller classes, and student safety as their top reasons.
The Opportunity Scholarship Program increases graduation rates, gives parents a choice, and gives students a chance. And in D.C., more parents and students are choosing to apply for the OSP than can participate.
According to The 74, “about 3,900 students applied for a scholarship this school year — some 2,745 more than received one.” There are so many applicants that administrators must use a lottery system to award the limited number of scholarships. A student’s future comes down to the luck of the draw.
Tiffany Dunston was one of the lucky ones. Not only did she get a scholarship and excel at Archbishop Carroll High School, she graduated valedictorian of her class. She even went on to get her Ph.D. last June. Thanks in no small part to D.C.’s Opportunity Scholarship Program, she’s carrying on her late cousin’s legacy.
Tiffany was an OSP success story, and as long as Congress does the right thing, she’ll be just one of many more. Let’s hope they study up on school choice when they return from recess.
Josh Kaib (@joshkaib) is a writer and digital communications professional residing in Arlington, VA.
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