School Vouchers Give the Poor the Freedom of the Wealthy

To the Editor:

Senator Dick Durbin’s Opposing View column (“Voucher Program Flops,” May 19) states that most parents wouldn’t give the results of Washington, DC’s Opportunity Scholarship program “a passing grade.” But they do: parents of students receiving vouchers registered significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their child’s school, according to the federal Department of Education.

They were also more likely to describe that school as having a safer and more orderly school climate. Aren’t these the parents whose opinions should matter most to the decisionmakers who will determine the program’s future?

Don Soifer
Executive Vice President
Lexington Institute
Arlington, VA