Ruling a Victory for the 4,000 Kids in Cleveland, and Thousands of Children Nationwide
DALLAS (June 27, 2002) — National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) education policy analyst Matt Moore released the following statement today in response to the announced ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case involving the school choice program in Cleveland, Ohio. "This is great news, not only for the children in Cleveland's school choice program, but for children trapped in failing schools across the country. With this decision, government bureaucrats can no longer claim constitutional protection when they prevent those with the humblest of means from exercising the same choices most middle and upper-income families make.
"Cleveland's school choice program wasn't created on a whim. Rather, it was established to address an explicit need caused by one of the biggest educational failures in the country. By all measures, the program has been a success. Thousands of parents are more satisfied with their schools, thousands of children are in classrooms that are more racially integrated and student performance seems to be on the upswing.
"Unfortunately, this victory will probably not stop the fight against choice completely. Choice opponents will continue to attack choice using state constitutions, and by lobbying against choice programs in state legislatures using a variety of myths, half-truths and out right lies. At least now, the question of their constitutionality has been resolved once and for all."
Last fall, the NCPA published a book, "Ten Myths About School Choice: Answering the Campaign Against School Vouchers," that charged examined the many false claims employed by the education establishment to refute the proven success of tax-funded school voucher programs in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Florida.
For more information about this book, or to speak to someone about today's court ruling, contact the NCPA's Public Affairs Department at 1-800-859-1154.