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
Does Underfunding Pensions “Help the Kids”?
A letter I recently submitted to the Allentown Morning Call on state education subsidies and pension funding: The Morning Call’s article on state subsidies to school districts has…
Media
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Pennsylvania K-12 Education Spending
Pennsylvania's K-12 education revenue increased from $13 billion in 1995-96 to $26 billion in 2009-10. Adjusted for inflation, that represents a 44% increase in revenue per student. …
Fact Sheet
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Exposing Two Class Size Myths
The Patriot-News reports that while schools in the mid-state have laid off some employees, most districts are still below the national average student-teacher ratio of 15.1. The student-teacher ratio…
Media
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Busting the Myth That State Subsidies Prevent College Tuition Rising
Universities consistently blame state budget cuts for rising tuition, but in reality, tuition has risen regardless of state subsidies. Here’s…
Media
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Attacking Cyber School Funding
The House Education Committee held an informational hearing today with administrators from several of Pennsylvania’s cyber schools. The school officials mainly addressed myths about cyber school funding and performance,…
Media
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School Choice Gives Students Hope
Chester-Upland School District in the Philadelphia area is in deep financial trouble, and it made news recently for suing the state for emergency funding to keep going. In a…
Media
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It’s Not About Tuition, It’s About Mo’ Money
Over at PA Independent, Stacy Brown has an important story on the ongoing fight over Gov. Corbett’s budget proposal. There, Duquesne University professor Antony Davies, a member of CF’s…
Media
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Budget Cuts Do Not Equal Tuition Hikes
Last year we highlighted waste in public higher education, such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s golf simulator with 52 different golf courses and Penn State’s decision to construct new…
Media
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Happy Digital Learning Day
Today is national Digital Learning Day, during which groups across the country will commemorate how technology is changing education for the better. So what exactly IS digital learning? Digital…
Media
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Not a Joke: Learn from Louisiana
Here in Pennsylvania, we like to think we’re better than states like Louisiana. Those folks used to have slaves, but our founder was a Quaker. They’re poor, but we’re rich. …
Media
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Year of School Choice…and Beyond
The Alliance for School Choice released its latest School Choice Yearbook highlighting the developments in school choice in 2011, as well as each of the programs in the United…
Media
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Bill Cosby Explains How to Really Educate a Child
We're in the middle of National School Choice Week, which means the word “education” is hot on the lips of its advocates across our state and country. Schooling is…
Media
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School Choice: The ABC’s
In time for National School Choice Week, the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice released its 2012 ABC’s of School Choice. The new guide gives an overview of what…
Media
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Want to Help PA’s Kids?
With the 10-year anniversary of No Child Left Behind recently passing, the $20.7 million bailout for Chester-Upland School District, and students in Neshaminy sitting at home while…
Media
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Ponderous PSEA, Virulent Violence Verified
Last December, the Commonwealth Foundation urged lawmakers to offer kids in Pennsylvania’s worst violent, failing schools a lifeline, and give them school choice for Christmas. We delivered bouquets of 17…
Media
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Bring Choice to Chester-Upland
Chester-Upland, a chronically failing and bankrupt school district of 3,700 students in Delaware County, last week filed a federal suit against the commonwealth to demand a $20.7 million bailout…
Media
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The Education Monopoly Comandeers CNN
The Reading School District was featured on CNN this weekend, but not for anything positive. Reporters documented the poor air quality caused by crumbling school buildings across the nation.
Media
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Crisis vs. Competition in Education
Here are two views on school choice, the idea that fostering a variety of schooling options for families—whether public, charter, cyber or private—is a good thing: School choice is a…
Media
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A Decade Left Behind
My first career started a few decades ago in the classroom as a high school history teacher. While much has changed since then – including the use of technology and…
Commentary
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PSEA Exposed: Vex, Lies and Audio Tape
Nestled in the $4.2 million the Pennsylvania State Education Asssociation spent in 2010-11 on political activities are some very telling expenditures on polling firms. For example, remember the much-touted…
Media
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The Growing Lobbying Might of the PSEA
The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state’s largest government union with 192,000 members, spent an astonishing $2.6 million in 2009-10 on “political activities and lobbying.” If that seems like a…
Media
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