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
Let Teachers Make Their Own Union Choices
Joe Connolly is a public high school guidance counselor in central Pennsylvania. His school district recently introduced “fair share fees” for non-union workers—meaning educators like Joe will now be forced…
Media
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Are Cyber School Students Second-Class Citizens?
Editor’s Note: Jake Swink is a summer intern at Commonwealth Foundation and, starting in September, will be an active duty 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force specializing in cyber…
Media
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Unions First, Teachers & Students Last
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) might take legal action against the School District of Philadelphia for … wait for it … hiring back teachers. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission…
Media
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Podcast: Cyber School in Real Life
Meet Jake Swink. Jake is a 2013 graduate of Bloomsburg University with a degree in Computer Science. In a few weeks, he will be utilizing these skills as a 2nd…
Media
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Five Facts on the Philadelphia Schools Crisis
Things have reached a fever pitch in Philadelphia as the city’s school district—the eighth-largest in America—is scrambling to close its $300 million deficit and open schools on time. As protestors…
Media
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PSEA’s Political Cartoon Targets Corbett, Belittles Teachers
This perspective was written by Steve Calabro, a cyber charter school educator in Pennsylvania. This latest political email alert from the Pennsylvania State Education Association—using union dues, I might add—is…
Media
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School Districts’ Fund Balances Grow Despite Budget Squeeze
Despite claims of severe budget cuts, school districts’ fund balances—their rainy day funds—grew last year. School districts increased their fund balances in 2011-12 by more than $200 million. As of…
Media
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The Truth on Cyber School Performance
Here is a letter to the editor I submitted to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Pennsylvania cyber school performance: Mary Niederberger reports on a new, largely positive charter school study…
Media
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Burger Flipper or National Merit Scholar?
Mechanicsburg student Colin Knott is a National Merit Scholar—putting him in the top one percent of students nationwide—and already has 25 college credits under his belt prior to his first…
Media
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Public School Staffing Up, Enrollment Down
In the last two years, schools have reduced their total staffing. Yet despite this short-term decline, public school staff has increased by more than 17,000 since 2000. Over the…
Media
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The Canard of Corbett’s Education Cuts
Despite the popular claim that Gov. Corbett “cut $1 billion” in education spending in the state budget, state funding for public schools is at an all-time high. In 2011-12, federal…
Media
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6 Trends in Public School Spending
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently updated files from public schools’ annual financial reports and enrollment reports. Here are six key trends from those data.
Memo
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SAT Scores by State 2012
EDITORS NOTE: Click here for the 2014 SAT Scores by state How did states compare on the SAT in 2012? The College Board’s 2012 annual report on college and…
Media
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Happy National Employee Freedom Week, America
National Employee Freedom Week is about informing workers about their rights and empowering them to exercise their freedoms. Ultimately, there are ways for workers to leave the Hotel California. We…
Commentary
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Pension Cost Conundrum: Cut Teachers or Raise Taxes?
A recent report released by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute estimates Philadelphia School District (SDP) pension payments will total $349 million by 2020, which is a 378 percent increase…
Media
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Districts Save What Cybers Spend
How much of Pennsylvania’s education spending goes to public cyber schools? Just 1 percent, or $319 million. Keep this in mind when reading about new data on school district…
Media
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Cyber Schools Receive Less Per Student
Pennsylvania cyber schools receive on average about 20 percent less revenue per student than school districts spend. Like other public charter schools, cyber schools receive funds only when families choose…
Media
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Cyber Schools: 1% of Education Spending
In 2010-11, public cyber schools cost $319 million out of $25 billion on PreK-12 spending—just 1% of Pennsylvania’s total public education spending. Cyber vs. School District Spending, 2010-11 Total Per-Student…
Media
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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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