Education
2025 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview The national trends impacting education in Pennsylvania in 2025 include an impending fiscal cliff, under-enrolled schools, and population decline, all of which lead to school closures…
Read More: 2025 State of Education Spending in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania’s future is in the hands of the next generation. Parents and students—not activist agendas—should drive the Commonwealth’s education policy. While policymakers have been entrusted with ensuring the next generation receives a quality education, parents should be empowered to choose the quality education that meets their unique child’s needs. Charter schools and tax credit scholarships are integral pieces of school choice, but more reforms are needed to make school choice a reality for all Pennsylvania students.
Education
Government Unions Threaten to Eclipse School Choice
Governor Tom Wolf and other elected officials are pulling in millions of dollars from government unions that oppose school choice and exert considerable influence at the expense of education reform. …
Commentary
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Can Our Kids Afford to Wait While Harrisburg Schools Improve?
Last fall, several House education committee members cited ongoing improvements in Harrisburg City School District as the reason to oppose scholarships for Harrisburg kids. But are things really getting better?…
Commentary
Read More: Can Our Kids Afford to Wait While Harrisburg Schools Improve?Education
Every Child Is Unique — That’s Why School Choice is Common Sense
No single school can meet the needs of every child who happens to live within a certain radius. No one thinks the government should assign people to a grocery store,…
Commentary
Read More: Every Child Is Unique — That’s Why School Choice is Common SenseEducation
Tax Credit Scholarships Give Families Options
National School Choice Week is a great time to celebrate the diverse educational options that are available to kids throughout Pa. But it’s also a time to focus on increasing…
Commentary
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Democrat Lawmaker Speaks Out for School Choice
National School Choice Week can—and should—be a bipartisan celebration. Tennessee State Rep. John DeBerry is a Democrat who has been honored for his school choice advocacy. Here are his remarks from…
Commentary
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It’s National School Choice Week!
What is a "good" school? There isn’t just one definition of a “good” school because every child is unique. That’s why choice is so important. This week we’re going to…
Commentary
Read More: It’s National School Choice Week!Criminal Justice Reform
CF’s 2020 Vision
The Commonwealth Foundation’s mission sounds pretty simple: transform free-market ideas into public policies so all Pennsylvanians can flourish. Accomplishing that mission—with a divided government, powerful special interests, and a diverse…
Media
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Pension Pacman Must Be Stopped
Next fiscal year Pennsylvania school districts will pay $4.9 billion into PSERS, the state teachers’ pension fund.1 Less than one quarter of that amount will fund new benefits earned by…
Media
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Myles Goes to Washington
“School choice opens up doors that would otherwise be slammed shut. As a young African American male in a low-income neighborhood it’s more likely I would be a dropout…
Media
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Parents Protest Politicians’ Education Hypocrisy
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the latest in a long line of politicians to take advantage of school choice for their own kids—Sen. Warren sent her son to private schools…
Media
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We’re thankful!
And the winner of “Biggest Home State Win” is … the Commonwealth Foundation! You can imagine the excitement of CF staff when we recently found out we’d won a prestigious…
Media
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My Unanswered Question for Governor Wolf
Governor Wolf continues to use divisive rhetoric that places all the blame for Pennsylvania’s education woes on public charter schools. During his recent press conference at the Pennsylvania Association of…
Media
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Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They Deserve
Financial mismanagement. Student violence. State receivership. FBI investigation. These are the headlines Harrisburg families have been confronting for years—even decades. That's why the House Education Committee advanced legislation, HB 1800, sponsored…
Press Release
Read More: Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They DeserveEducation
Tuition Scholarships for Harrisburg
With HB 1800, Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) wants to give parents the ability to escape Harrisburg schools without a permission slip from local officials.
Fact Sheet
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Gov. Wolf Makes History by Signing PA GI Bill
On Veterans Day, we remember how much military service members sacrifice for the rest of us. Last week, Gov. Wolf gathered with military members and lawmakers to thank them…
Media
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3 Charter School Facts Gov. Wolf Hopes You Won’t Notice
Pennsylvania charter schools are “wildly ineffective.” They produce “abysmal results.” They “aren’t moving the needle” on test results. If you believe the detractors, charter schools are worse than pointless.
Media
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Conscientious Objectors to Choice
Once again, the most vulnerable in our Commonwealth are in a battle without fully realizing it. That was clear to me during my testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate’s Education…
Media
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Betsy DeVos Touts Education Freedom Scholarships During Harrisburg Visit
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School in September was a great opportunity to highlight school choice in Pennsylvania and beyond. But most national media outlets that…
Media
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Former PSEA Director Says Union Flip-Flopped on Charters
“When I was at PSEA we embraced charter schools.” Those are surprising words from former PSEA Executive Director Carolyn Dumaresq. And they carry even more weight, given she was…
Media
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Union Donations to Gov. Wolf Drown Out School Choice
Charter schools remain in the crosshairs of the teachers’ unions and their government allies. That much is made evident in the proposals, resolutions and other public statements the National Education…
Media
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Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be Optional
Do charter schools work? That was the focus of a Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee hearing today. The 3-hour meeting featured five different panels discussing various aspects of charter schools…
Media
Read More: Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be Optional