Poll Finds Union Leaders Out of Touch

  • August 31, 2016

Today, teachers across Pennsylvania are forced to pay for union activities that many don’t support. To many, they feel manipulated by unions that don’t represent their interests or beliefs. The…

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State Budget

Facing Likely Deficit, Lawmakers Should Reduce Spending

  • August 31, 2016

Fiscal responsibility is at a premium across the country, and Pennsylvania is no exception. In June, lawmakers passed a budget that increased spending by $1.6 billion. Weeks later, they passed…

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Education

Public Remains Supportive of School Choice

  • James Paul
  • August 30, 2016

That’s the upshot of the 10th annual public opinion survey from Education Next, which covers a range of topics including school choice, school spending, personnel policy, testing, and accountability.

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Education

Pittsburgh-Area Family Punished for Choosing Charter School

  • James Paul
  • August 29, 2016

Fauna Shaffer Butera, mother of two young boys just miles to the northwest of Pittsburgh, opted to enroll her sons in Young Scholars Charter School. She was shocked to learn of the…

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Health Care

Obamacare is Failing, But States can Bring Hope

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 29, 2016

Obamacare is struggling for survival. Despite victories in the courts, state exchanges are in trouble, and Medicaid expansion has been more costly than expected—with no evidence of improved health outcomes.

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State Budget

Podcast: How Money Walks Out of Pennsylvania

  • August 24, 2016

Last year, nearly 42,000 Pennsylvanians left the state to pursue their dreams elsewhere—that's one person every 12 and a half minutes. Why is money walking out of Pennsylvania? That’s…

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Taxes & Economy

Welfare to Work Helped Reduce Poverty

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 22, 2016

Twenty years ago President Clinton signed a law creating Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), better known as sweeping welfare reform grounded in work requirements. In 1996, 531,000 adults and…

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Education

Understanding Your School District?s Labor Contract

  • James Paul, Jessica Barnett
  • August 17, 2016

CF reviewed labor contracts in each of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts and uncovered several interesting findings. These contracts, known as collective bargaining agreements, are negotiated behind closed doors between…

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