Capital choices: voucher progress.

• Author: Snell, Lisa

BEGINNING IN fall 2004 the D.C. School Choice Initiative will provide $14 million for approximately 2,000 low-income children in falling D.C. public schools. Students will receive grants of up to $7,500 each to attend parochial or private schools, but the bill also provides $13 million for government schools and $13 million for additional charter schools.

That means the program lacks a key element of competitive markets: The D.C. public schools have no financial incentive to improve because the money does not follow the child leaving the public school. In fact, the D.C. schools will have significantly more money now than before the voucher initiative. Nobel laureate Milton...