Reauthorization Grows D.C. Voucher Program by 60 Percent, New School Choice Yearbook Reveals

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, the nation's only federally funded voucher program, grew by 60 percent this year thanks to reauthorization, according to the School Choice Yearbook 2011-12—the annual award-winning publication offering the most comprehensive data on the nation's 27 private school choice programs—released yesterday by the Alliance for School Choice.

The program was restored and strengthened for five years at $20 million annually as part of last April's budget negotiations, thanks in large part to a bipartisan coalition of leaders led by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), as well as Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).  Their efforts ended a multi-year fight to restore a program that boasts a 91 percent graduation rate for students who used their scholarships—21 points higher than students in public schools who also sought vouchers.

With the program's reauthorization also came an immediate increase in enrollment and increased scholarship amounts. The more than 1,600 students enrolled during the 2011-12 school year is a 60 percent increase over last year's numbers, and scholarships are now worth up to $8,000 for students in grades K-8 and $12,000 for students in grades 9-12.

More information about D.C. and other programs can be found in the Yearbook, available for download at www.YearofSchoolChoice.com.

The D.C. program is one of 11 school choice programs that were expanded in 2011. Expansions also took place in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Utah.

"Our yearbook documents the tremendous success and the stories of lives changed not just by the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, but by all 27 publicly funded school choice programs," said Kevin P. Chavous, Alliance senior advisor.

The Alliance's annual Yearbook, entitled School Choice Now: The Year of School Choice, is a collection of the nation's most accurate data on private school choice programs across the country.  The 2011-12 edition contains an analysis of trends and information regarding school choice, a directory of the accountability provisions and requirements for each of the 27 private school choice programs, and a chronicle of the events from the past year.

The Alliance for School Choice is a leading national organization promoting school choice. For more information, or to download the Yearbook, visit www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org.

SOURCE Alliance for School Choice