For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 27, 2002

President Pleased with Court Decision on School Choice
Statement by the President

This landmark ruling is a victory for parents and children throughout America. By upholding the constitutionality of Cleveland's school choice program, the Supreme Court has offered the hope of an excellent education to parents and children throughout our country. This decision clears the way for other innovative school choice programs, so that no child in America will be left behind.

School choice offers proven results of a better education, not only for children enrolled in the specific plan, but also for children whose public schools benefit from the competition. The Milwaukee choice plan, begun in the early 1990s, has resulted in substantially improved reading and math scores for thousands of low-income children. The program has also had a positive impact on the entire public school system, which has responded to competition with better results.

The education reforms we enacted earlier this year give unprecedented new options to parents of children trapped in low performing schools. My budget builds on this Act by adding important new options to empower parents -- particularly low-income families -- to improve their children's education. I urge Congress to move quickly to build on the momentum generated from this decision to enact my education priorities.

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