U.S. public schools often cope with the burdens of crowded classrooms, empty supply closets, and apathetic teachers, especially in the inner cities. Private schools can be better but usually are an option for only the wealthy. Enter the Children’s Scholarship Fund under the leadership of Darla Romfo. The group, which funds private-school tuitions for underprivileged children, has disbursed more than $400 million in scholarships to more than 110,000 low-income kids since 1998. The fund boasts graduation rates for its beneficiaries substantially higher than their public-school counterparts. Romfo, the fund’s president and chief operating officer, is an education advocate who once was legislative director for U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a conservative Democrat from Louisiana.