Pledge Unfulfilled

Given President Obama's pledge to support what works in education without regard to political ideology, he surely will seize upon the latest evidence of the productivity of Milwaukee's pioneering voucher program to endorse expansion of private educational choice, won't he?

Not bloody likely, unfortunately. So far, Obama has said one thing and done the opposite on this vital issue.

His own Department of Education published a study proving that federally funded vouchers had significantly boosted needy Washington, D.C., children's achievement. Yet the president has gone along with the congressional Democrat leadership and done the bidding of teachers unions in seeking to kill this exemplary program.

Last spring he signed an omnibus spending bill that forbade localities from using any of their education aid for vouchers. Local officials applying for a slice of the $4 billion Obama Race to the Top fund know they dare not propose vouchers as a tool of reform, but must stick to controlled choice within the government system.

So the editorial "The Milwaukee story: School choice works" (Feb. 11 and TribLIVE.com) was on target in hailing the Milwaukee vouchers' success but misleading in merely quoting Obama's State of the Union pledge. The Trib should have urged him to live up to his lofty promises -- for once.

Robert Holland

Chicago