“…there are signs, from New York charter schools to western statehouses, that the union grip over public education is beginning to slacken. Not a moment too soon, and we can hope not too late.”

By now we know that John Boehner has a sentimental side, but so far only Washington insiders know of his soft heart for low-income kids stuck in under-performing schools.

Besides his support for school voucher programs, he has co-sponsored fundraisers for D.C. parochial schools for almost as long as he’s been in Washington. As Carrie Lukas reports on National Review Online, “He’s known for his tendency to choke up when talking about the need to give poor children a chance at better schools, and presides at these charity events with a box of tissues close at hand.”

As the presumptive speaker of the House, he’s expected to challenge the Democrats’ cancellation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, a voucher plan that he helped create in 2004 and that President Obama refused to rescue from the chopping block last year.

If he puts the program back on the table, it will be a high-profile challenge to Democrats to put their money where their mouths are when it comes to helping poor children. Are they moved more by heartstrings or by purse strings, especially when the purse is firmly clasped by the teachers’ unions?

Read More: http://online.worldmag.com/2010/11/08/hope-and-change-for-the-kids/