Maybe the Obama administration has brought bipartisanship to Washington...just not the kind they had in mind. In this letter, a bipartisan group of US Senators chastises Secretary Duncan for denying DC scholarships to new students and urges ED to reconsider.
While these elected officials are trying convincing arguments, it looks like the DC advocates are finally bringing the scorching iron. Though I'm personally fond of the city's leading voucher advocates and know that they care deeply about the program and the children it serves, their save-the-program tactics have come up short. Instead of launching massive protests and organizing sit-ins over the last several months, they decided to lobby "behind the scenes," hoping persuasion and reason would turn the tide. It didn't work; the opponents remained opposed and those on the fence stayed there.
But the charm offensive may have come to an end. Next Wednesday, they are holding a????rally????on Freedom Plaza. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a more aggressive strategy.
A????couple years ago, I learned the hard way that behind the scenes lobbying when coming from a position of weakness is a recipe for failure. ????Because we didn't go public and go hard earlier, a beloved charter school I helped start had to close and a bunch of poor kids got hurt.????Now, I think Frederick Douglass had it right:????
"Power concedes nothing without a demand."
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning."
So if you're in DC on May 6 and care about the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, come help plow up some ground.
Image from the Historical Society of Talbot County