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
Fact Sheet: HB 1897 Eliminating Cyber Charter Schools
Today 34,000 Pennsylvania kids choose cyber charter schools. HB 1897 would eliminate all Pa. cyber charter schools by fall 2021. It also issues a top-down mandate that each school district…
Fact Sheet
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Charter School 101
Nearly 140,000 Pennsylvania students attend charter schools. Despite their popularity, misconceptions about charter schools abound. Here are answers to some common questions about this public alternative to district schools.
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Protecting Mackenzie’s School
Brad and Emily Moore live in Erie County. They chose to send their oldest daughter to Commonwealth Cyber Charter Academy (CCA). But now her education and the education…
Media
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How to Fix the Teacher Shortage in Pa.
This year Gov. Wolf proposed raising the minimum salary of teachers to attract and mintain the best talent. There's a better way to attract the best…
Media
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Duty, honor, country: Educational freedom for families who serve
Ask any military family with kids and they’ll tell you that one of the most stressful parts of getting orders to a new duty station is figuring out where their…
Media
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Charter Reform Done Right
Whether it’s a walk down the hall to a colleague’s office, or a flight across the ocean to see an old friend, visits show you care. Governor Tom Wolf visits many…
Media
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A Fair, Accountable, and Transparent Education
What are the facts on fairness, accountability, and transparency in the Commonwealth’s education system?…
Fact Sheet
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District Admits Breaking Charter Funding Law
You don’t often see a public official admit willfully and repeatedly breaking the law. Yet that’s what Pottsville Superintendent Jeffrey Zwiebel brazenly did in the Philadelphia Inquirer last week…
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Wolf’s Solution for Low-Income Kids? Attack the Schools that Save Their Lives
Shortly after announcing his troubling plan to restrict student access to schools of choice through executive actions, Governor Wolf tried to add positive spin via Twitter:…
Media
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Teachers Unions are Out of Touch on School Choice
A recently released poll by Education Next finds widespread—and growing—support for school choice in America. Moreover, this support crosses racial and party lines. Pennsylvania’s two types of school choice—charter…
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A Quality Education for Harrisburg Kids
Gov. Wolf likes to talk about getting every child a quality education no matter their zip code. Speaker Mike Turzai just unveiled a plan that would turn that platitude into…
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Gov. Wolf Attacks Charters with 11 Executive Actions
Earlier this summer, Gov. Wolf vetoed an expansion of tax credit scholarships that would have empowered thousands of Pennsylvania students. Now, he’s turned his attention to charter schools. The…
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Read More: Gov. Wolf Attacks Charters with 11 Executive ActionsCriminal Justice Reform
School to Prison Pipeline? Here’s the Escape Valve
Anthony Samuels is “the only male in my family that doesn’t have a record.” Rather, Anthony is a college graduate and a business owner. At an age when many…
Media
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Statement: Gov. Wolf’s Charter Accountability Plan
Today, Governor Tom Wolf will unveil his plans to alter accountability mechanisms for Pennsylvania's charter schools. However, Gov. Wolf's strategy is not as much about accountability as it is his administration's attempt…
Press Release
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Is Your Team Losing Every Year? Pittsburgh Students Know the Feeling
This year has been rough for Pittsburgh sports fans. The Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Penguins made it to the post-season for the 13th…
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A Better Strategy for Students in the “City of Champions”
If there’s one team that has stopped the “City of Champions” from having more Super Bowl championships, it’s the Evil Empire from up north: the New England Patriots. And if…
Media
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Can School Choice Solve “Lunch Shaming”?
On July 9th, Wyoming Valley West School District in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania took reckless steps in “lunch shaming” hundreds of students and ordering repayment of their student meal debts. …
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Students Lose in the “City of Champions”
Pittsburgh Pirates fans recently gathered at PNC Park to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1979 World Series Championship. When it comes to sports, people in the “City of Champions”…
Media
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Tax Hoarders Strike Again
Last month Governor Wolf vetoed House Bill 800, which could have opened new educational opportunities to 50,000 low- to middle-income students. The legislation sailed through both chambers and would have…
Media
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Last Rites for Blaine Amendments?
The election of President John F. Kennedy was a milestone that went a long way in sealing the tomb on anti-Catholic sentiments. With the election of an Irishman from Massachusetts,…
Media
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Opportunity Denied Again: Despite Recent Increase, Thousands of Scholarships Still Denied
In 2017-18, the cap on Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program increased by $10 million. Yet, 49,356 scholarship applications were denied—49% of all applications. To meet demand, lawmakers need…
Memo
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