It might appear risky for PennCAN - a new organization seeking to build an impactful statewide education movement - to support an issue as controversial as vouchers. After all, when Randi Weingarten – the President of the American Federation of Teachers – gave her first major policy address, she singled out vouchers as the only reform she would never ever consider.
But when you explore what it actually means to support vouchers, it’s easy to understand why broad coalitions of grassroots organizations continue to advocate for this issue in places as varied as Milwaukee, DC, Florida and Louisiana, among others. Simply put, it’s about what’s best for kids and families.
Wikipedia defines school vouchers as “a certificate issued by the government, which parents can apply toward tuition at a private school rather than at the state school to which their child is assigned.” In other words, it is a scholarship – usually limited only to low-income students trapped in fail...
