Cosby and Boehner Make an Interesting Duo

Bill Cosby and John Boehner joined together to push more school choice:

Count Bill Cosby as a big fan of school choice.

With Congress and the White House gearing up for a major battle over the future of education policy, the comedian who famously criticized academic failings in the black community added his voice Wednesday to that of House Speaker John A. Boehner and others who want to give parents a bigger say in their children's education.

The debate over reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was renamed the No Child Left Behind Act by the Bush administration, is expected to be resurrected during the 112th Congress. Congressional leaders and Obama administration officials are searching for common ground on charter schools and partnering with institutions of higher learning to improve student achievement.

Mr. Cosby zeroed in on that particular issue Wednesday.

Saying there needs to be a "revolution" to turn around the status quo for poor and black children, he urged colleges and universities, such as the highly competitive Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to "work with teachers and bring kids onto campus."

"MIT is only a 2½-block walk to a lower economic neighborhood," Mr. Cosby said. "Kids need to see more of this school and say, 'Yes, I can be part of this.'" His comments came during a conference call to promote National School Choice Week, which begins on Sunday.

Maybe Cosby can get Obama to restart the Washington D.C. school choice program he cancelled. But the unions wouldn't like that, so....