Education
The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education Failures
Key Points The cost and risk of failure in our K–12 system is high. Low academic achievement is a predictor of lower lifetime incomes and higher costs for taxpayers. On…
Read More: The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education FailuresPennsylvania’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
Taxing Business Won’t Save Students
Paul Battista told a Congressional subcommittee last year: “We can now pay a higher family-sustaining wage! We have people working for us that are the primary breadwinners of their household.”…
Commentary
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Is There a Pension Crisis?
PolicyBlog readers will be well-familiar with the fact that Pennsyvlania state funding for public schools is at a record high. So why do government union leaders and some…
Media
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Will Higher Taxes and Funding Save Students?
Philadelphia is in the midst of a crisis. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 80 percent of 4th and 8th grade students did not reach proficiency in math and…
Media
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Hope and Success in Opportunity Scholarship Program
James Cromartie is a 7th grader at the School of Church Farm in Exton, Pa. His mom, Lynne, is grateful for the school’s challenging academics, art, music and athletic programs.
Media
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State Education Spending at Record High
The recently passed Pennsylvania state budget sets a new record for state funding for public schools. The chart below illustrates this growth over the years. The total budgeted for the…
Media
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Teachers’ Views Matter
From my vantage point on the frontlines of Pennsylvania’s public schools, I see teachers’ unions with money to spend and power to wield who are unresponsive to the very people…
Commentary
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Give Teachers the Freedom to Choose
Let teachers worry about teaching; let politicians worry about politics. That’s been my mantra throughout my career as an educator. But, sadly, most public school teachers in Pennsylvania don’t have…
Commentary
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Why I Left Teaching: Union Politics
I taught science full-time for more than two decades and enjoyed a rewarding career educating a generation of public school students in Westmoreland County. I retired from teaching earlier than…
Commentary
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Union Leaders’ Lobbying Hurts Teachers, Students
Last week we highlighted a California judge who ruled that laws enforcing teacher seniority and tenure were unconstitutional and violated students’ rights to a quality education. But here in…
Media
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Politics Threatens Progress in Pittsburgh
Results from Pittsburgh’s new teacher evaluation system were unveiled today, identifying both excellent teachers and those that need improvement. The goal of this new evaluation system is to allow the…
Media
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A Fair Funding Formula: School Choice
Although it doesn’t fit the popular narrative of cash-starved school districts, spending on education is at an all-time high. The Pennsylvania Department of Education budget reached $11.2 billion in FY…
Media
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Students Win over Seniority Laws
Big news out of California, where a state judge struck down that state’s teacher seniority and tenure laws. The lawsuit was filed by 9 students who believed that…
Media
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An Inconvenient Truth: School Spending & Revenue at All-Time Highs
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Contrary to Cries of Desperation, District Revenue & Spending are at All-Time Highs Spending on Salaries Dwarfed by Pension Costs…
Press Release
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Political Fairness Issue Goes Before Lawmakers
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Legal Loophole Exploits Taxpayers & Union Members for Politics Paycheck Protection Promises to Restore Fairness & Accountability June 5,…
Press Release
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Five Facts on Pennsylvania Public Schools
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released its annual summary of public school finances for the 2012-13 school year. Here are some basic facts about school finances and spending,…
Fact Sheet
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Pension Reform Benefits Teachers & Taxpayers
Standard & Poor’s recently issued a stern warning that they would lower Pennsylvania’s bond rating—making it more expensive for the state to borrow money—unless they “adopt meaningful pension reform.” This…
Commentary
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Philadelphia Charter Schools Fight for Students
In the search for a solution to its nearly $30 million year-end deficit—not to mention a projected $216 million budget gap next year—the School District of Philadelphia is once…
Media
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PA Teacher Speaks Out on Union Issues
Last Wednesday, CF President Matt Brouillette guest hosted WHP580’s Ken Matthews Show in Harrisburg. Matt spent some time talking to Keith Williams, a high school English teacher from New Oxford…
Media
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Ignoring Pension Costs Won’t Work
We’ve mentioned before the big lie of “$1 billion cut from education.” Part of the reason that lie continues is that union executives ignore a big chunk of education…
Media
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School Spending is the Issue
My letter to the editor in yesterday’s York Daily Record addresses some inaccuracies about education spending in Pennsylvania. Your editorial on education funding (“Funding formula a good…
Media
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Fewer Districts Seek Big Property Tax Hikes
Government union leaders like to claim mythical state education funding cuts caused widespread school property tax increases. But new data shows fewer school districts are actually receiving exceptions…
Media
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