: News

Filed Under:

Senators Question District Voucher Program

September 30, 2009
Play associated audio
comments

Senators are questioning why federal money is being spent on private schools in the District that aren't accredited. The federal voucher program helps seventeen hundred low-income D.C. kids afford private and religious schools.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine worries there's not enough oversight of some private schools which are not accredited. "The Catholic schools are all accredited, the charter schools are either accredited or in the process of being accredited."

At a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday, Collins proposed making it a requirement. She asked voucher fund director Gregory Cork if he would support the change. "I think that process is worth considering, so yes, I would answer your question but I would say I would want some things put in place to make it a fair process."

First, however, Congress has to reauthorize the program, which expires next year. Ensuring accreditation could be a big step toward getting Congressional support.

Tanya Snyder reports...

Arts & Culture

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.

Food

NPR

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.

Politics

NPR

With White House Bogged Down By Scandal, GOP Looks For Boost

As criticism of the Obama administration over a string of scandals grows, conservatives see an opportunity to gain momentum for 2014 races. Host Neal Conan and Political Junkie Ken Rudin talk with political science professor Jack Pitney about the GOP and the re-emergence of the Tea Party. Plus: the week in politics from Anthony Weiner's New York mayoral candidacy to the Senate immigration bill.

Technology

NPR

Apple CEO Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

Apple CEO Tim Cook faced tough questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He defended a tax strategy that allows Apple to avoid taxes on tens of billions of dollars of profits. Cook also called on the Congress to lower the U.S. corporate tax rate.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.