“In the absence of this long-awaited home, there was only school….For children like Dasani, school is not just a place to cultivate a hungry mind. It is a refuge.” These words, which appear in Andrea Elliott’s five-part New York Times report, will strike a chord with anyone who spends their days trying to help poor children climb the ladder to opportunity. While the series is essentially about poverty and homelessness in the modern world, it is also the story of the power that the right schools, teachers, and principals have to help break the cycle—at least for one preteen girl.
According to data released this week by the Ohio Department of Education, the Buckeye State this year saw the largest increase in school-voucher-usage in the state’s history: Ohio families tapped more than 31,000 vouchers for their children to attend a private K–12 school, at least 4,600 more vouchers than were used the previous year. A little perspective: If the kids using vouchers made up a school district, it would be the state’s fourth largest.
