Obama praises school choice?

by Bob Kellogg OneNewsNow

During his recent Twitter town hall chat, an education analyst was surprised to hear President Obama admit he personally benefited from a public school scholarship when he was an elementary student.

The president explained that if it were not for the scholarship he received to attend a prestigious private school in Hawaii when he was ten years old, he would not be president today. Lindsey Burke, education analyst at The Heritage Foundation, says she was astonished by the remark.

"It was very interesting, but certainly surprising to hear him acknowledge the life-changing outcomes that school choice has had for him," she explains.

But despite his own benefit from attending a private school on a scholarship, Burke says Obama has done little to bring the same opportunities to other children, and she credits his constituent base for that.

"We've seen time after time this administration, President Obama in particular, bowing down to pressure from special interest groups -- namely the teachers union," Burke observes. "And this has been evident, particularly with school choice."

In spite of the president's lack of support, school choice legislation has been proposed in 42 states across the nation, which has resulted in the passage of an unprecedented number of bills this year. (See related story)