Yesterday, I had the honor of joining parents and students from Washington, D.C. who have participated in the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program. The program was started in 2004 and has given hope to more than 1,700 low-income students by allowing their parents to choose the best schools. The school choice program is so popular with Washington, D.C. parents that seven students apply for every scholarship opening.
Unfortunately, some politicians in Congress have decided to put anti-choice ideology ahead of proven results, and added language to the wasteful omnibus spending bill that will eliminate the popular scholarship program. This is an outrage to parents who have used the scholarships to help their children escape failing schools for a better education. Even President Obama’s Secretary of Education agrees that it would be wrong to take these children out of schools their parents chose for them.
I even spoke with a D.C. parent this week who worries that if her child is forced out of the program, he may be more likely to join a gang than to graduate. These parents' concerns deserve to be heard. I hope the Senate will vote next week to protect this important program.
This morning on FOX Business Sen. DeMint explains that while President Obama's rhetoric may have sounded nice the policies he's promoting just won't work:
Sen. DeMint joined up with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) this week to write an op-ed on education that ran today in The Washington Times. In the op-ed, titled "Positive Change in Schools Is Possible," the senators express hope that President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Arne Duncan to be the next secretary of education indicates that much-needed reforms in public schools will finally take place and discuss their vision for America's educational system:
Ensuring that all children in America have the opportunity to learn is an effort that cuts across party lines and ideologies. Of immediate concern is the fact that for more than four decades, rising federal funding and control of public education has failed to ensure that all children receive a quality education and that American students can compete with their peers around the country.
The recent selection of Arne Duncan to be the next Secretary of Education is an encouraging sign to supporters of public education reform. The Chicago Public School chief is known as a tough reformer who supports holding schools accountable for results and boosting performance by promoting new strategies like improving merit pay....
There is another heated debate going on in our nation’s capital. The debate is over sexual education in our public schools. The critical question is how do we, as the stewards of this nation, solve the problem of teen pregnancy. Most recently, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and supporter of comprehensive sex education, called into question the validity of abstinence-based education in a hearing last week.
To me, the answer is glaringly obvious. We must give young people the abstinence education they deserve to make the right choices for their future.
Abstinence-based education provides the foundation for making healthy personal choices. By emphasizing the impact sexual activity has on adolescents and their future goals, these abstinence programs enable them to make educated, safe decisions that lead to happiness in their adult life.
The facts are clear: Those who participate in abstinence programs are more likely to have better grades in school and have more stable lives. A recent assessment of 21 studies of abstinence education by the nonpartisan Heritage Foundation found:
"...abstinent teens report, on average, better psychological well-being and higher academic achievement than those who are sexually active. Delaying the initiation of or reducing early sexual activity among teens can decrease their overall exposure to risks of unwed childbearing, STDs, and psycho-emotional harm."
Earlier this month I spent time with the dedicated faculty and staff of Sumter High School. The attitude of the staff and the overall vision of the school left me encouraged.
SHS, like most schools, has its own set of unique challenges. It is one of the five largest schools in South Carolina and serves a rural area with a high-poverty rate, yet, it has an above-average graduation rate. As I walked the halls, I encountered students who were excited about education; I spoke to classes and found them to be engaged and focused.
It’s clear to me what motivates the students: their studies are made relevant by applied learning. Teachers are “connecting the dots” to show students how the skills they are mastering in the classroom will make them more competitive in the job market.
At SHS, many students are taking classes off-campus at Tuomey Medical Center to learn skills that will make them marketable in the health care field. Education courses are being taught to students who are interested in teaching. Students are learning how to craft a superior resume. The University of South Carolina-Sumter is lending professors to teach courses on the High School campus.
And the results are impressive. The vast majority of students leaving SHS are competitive and prepared to do business in a global market place. These young men and women from a small town in the middle of South Carolina will be competing with students China, India and all over the world.
That’s why schools across the country could take a lesson from what is going on at Sumter High. As we educate the next generation, we must make sure that success in school translates into success in life.
