The National Education Association and its local arm, the Connecticut Education Association, have become devastatingly effective at manipulating the political process. The majority in the General Assembly simply won't make a legislative move that would arouse the CEA's ire. Six years ago, Wisconsin summoned the political will to disregard the NEA and to implement a pilot school-voucher program for Milwaukee. In 1990, Polly Williams, a black state representative, led the fight against the entrenched unions - and, almost miraculously, won. With a voucher plan now in place, some of Milwaukee's poorest children have begun to obtain the benefits of a private or a religious school education - an opportunity usually available only to the wealthy or to the upper middle class.
Initial signs point to success.
It turns out that the demand for vouchers in Milwaukee greatly exceeds the supply - an indication of their popularity. In addition, a recent study by professors at Harvard and the University of Houston indicate substantial improvements in math and reading scores by students who have participated in the program for three years or more. There are many similarities between Hartford and Milwaukee. Both Hartford's and Milwaukee's schools are heavily minority. School dropout rates are comparable.