FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV AG (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 "Today's historic decision is a great victory for parents and children across America, particularly for many minority, low-income students who have been trapped in failing public schools. In June 1995, in the midst of a severe educational crisis in the Cleveland school district, the Ohio legislature enacted the 'Pilot Project Scholarship Program' to empower parents to provide a better education for their children. A 1996 report found that only 9% of the district's high school students passed all four sections of Ohio's ninth grade proficiency test and sixty percent or more failed to graduate.
The Ohio legislature crafted a brighter future for the students trapped in the Cleveland school system, by providing scholarships for students to attend a participating public or private school of their families' choosing and tutorial assistance grants for students attending public school. This program will help make a brighter future possible for these and many other deserving students." 02-373
Source: US Department of Justice
