ERIC Number: ED505678
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Apr-20
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Members of the 111th Congress Practice Private School Choice. Backgrounder. No. 2257
Burke, Lindsey
Heritage Foundation
Policies that give parents the ability to exercise private-school choice continue to proliferate across the country. On Capitol Hill, however, recent Congresses have not implemented policies to expand private-school choice although many Members of Congress exercise school choice for their own families. A Heritage survey of the members of the 111th Congress revealed that 44 percent of Senators and 36 percent of Representatives had sent their children to private schools. Among the general public, only 11 percent of American students attend private school. Approximately 20 percent of members of the 111th Congress attended private high school themselves--nearly twice the rate of the American public. The author advocates that members of the 111th Congress who practice school choice for their own families should also support school choice policies for all American families. Survey Methodology and results are appended. (Contains 25 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Legislators, Educational Background, Private Schools, School Choice, Incidence, Disproportionate Representation, Educational Opportunities, Equal Education
Heritage Foundation. 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002-4999. Tel: 202-546-4400; Fax: 202-546-8328; e-mail: info@heritage.org; Web site: http://www.heritage.org
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Heritage Foundation
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A