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
Poll: Support for Parental Choices in Education Growing
A new poll has found a very healthy majority—62 percent—of the state’s registered and likely voters favor parental choice in public education. And 87 percent think parents should have…
Media
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Cyber School Funding in Pennsylvania
Cyber schools currently spend significantly less per student than school districts and only represent about 1% of spending on public education. Discrepancies in cyber school funding are the result of…
Memo
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Charter School Rescues Students, Community
What does a neighborhood do when its surrounding school districts are underperforming, or downright violent and failing? Where can the kids go? In the Pittsburgh area, many students find refuge…
Media
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Cyber Schools Save the Best & Brightest
Avi Stein, a resident of Camp Hill, overcame learning disabilities and the challenges of mentoring four younger siblings to be one of only 20 Central Pennsylvania students honored with a…
Media
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From Cyber School to West Point
Hannah Tuffy, 20, is one of the first cyber school students to be accepted at the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The accomplished Scranton native credits her success…
Media
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Students Excel with School Choice
Hannah and Alyssa will tell you that the freedom to choose a school that works for them was essential to their academic success. They are just two of the…
Media
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Cyber Schools Save Kids from Bullying
Stephen Frank was a cheerful young student with an enthusiasm for learning and an interest in football. Not long into his first year of middle school at his traditional public…
Media
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Cyber Schools Save Students
Recently, cyber schools have been attacked in the media and in the legislature as “too expensive” and “a drain on public education.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Media
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Cyber Charter Chat with Rep. Truitt
Rep. Dan Truitt (R-Chester) joined us for a Google Hangout this afternoon to discuss charter and cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania. Rep. Truitt, a parent of cyber school students,…
Media
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How Cyber School Saved Rachel
In second grade, Rachel Coleman vividly remembers classmates teasing her about her high test scores and ability to learn at a sixth-grade level. “You’ll never get a husband!” girls taunted…
Media
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Student Pleads to Preserve Cyber Schools
Applause to Brianna Shinn, a ninth-grade student who wrote a letter to the editor of the Bucks County Courier Times. Brianna is thriving at Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School and…
Media
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Penn State Loophole Closed, Taxpayers Get Accountability
More accountability is in the works for Pennsylvania universities. Earlier this week, the House State Government Committee considered legislation requiring Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities to comply with the Right-to-Know Law.
Media
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Common Core Questions, School Choice Answers
A new national school standard known as “Common Core” is fast becoming known for superseding state and local authority over public education curricula. Using cutting edge data collection and…
Media
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Do Cyber Schools Spend Too Much?
With the House Education Committee set to consider new legislation on reducing cyber school funding, the discussion has turned again to how much cyber schools “actually” cost and…
Media
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Education: America’s New Civil Right
Education can and should be America's newest civil rights issue. Today, too many schools are failing too many children. The system is broken, and access to a quality…
Commentary
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Cyber Proposal Undermines Cherished School Option
The Matunis girls are just two of some 32,000 students statewide who are thriving at cyber schools. New legislation unveiled in Harrisburg, however, could do serious damage to cyber…
Commentary
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New Bills Constitute Attack on Cyber Schools
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) and a trio of legislators today unveiled a package of bills aimed at reducing cyber school growth and limiting the popular schools’…
Media
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California School Parents Make History
The win didn’t come easy, but parents at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, Calif. finally prevailed this week in putting the failing school under new charter school management, becoming…
Media
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What’s Behind Pennsylvania’s D+ on Education?
StudentsFirst, a bipartisan education reform group, released report cards for all 50 states evaluating individual state education laws and policies—and the news wasn’t good for Pennsylvania,…
Media
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Busting Charter School Funding Myths
Charter schools are under fire again this month, following renewed criticism from Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner on how the schools spend and save their funding.
Media
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