D.C. Schools Superintendent Wants Vouchers

by Collin Hitt Special education in Washington D.C. public schools is mired with problems. So much so that legally savvy parents of special needs students often win big-dollar lawsuits to have their children placed in city private schools. Across the country, the role that private schools play in special education is small but significant.  Parents,...

by Collin Hitt

Special education in Washington D.C. public schools is mired with problems. So much so that legally savvy parents of special needs students often win big-dollar lawsuits to have their children placed in city private schools.

Across the country, the role that private schools play in special education is small but significant.  Parents, especially those of limited means, have to go through an onerous process to have their children placed in a setting outside the public school system.  It’s a process that most of the time sides against parents, especially those who lack the experience in litigation or bureaucratic wrangling. However, review boards in Illinois and elsewhere do sometimes conclude that a private school does indeed often present the best learning environment for a particular child.  This positive role that private schools play, even though it is small, is often unmentioned by status-quo types, especially those who are paid to never compliment non-public schools.

Lucky for the kids in D.C., the superintendent of public schools is not a status-quo type.  Michelle Rhee has now proposed that special needs students in the district all be eligible to receive vouchers to attend pre-approved private schools.  This will decrease the district’s legal costs, give parents what they want and improve the quality of special education.

In case you doubt that final point, check out the evidence from Florida.  The Sunshine State moved to a voucher system for its special education students a decade ago.