Education
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
Tens of thousands of kids wait-listed for Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs could receive scholarships under the new federal program. First-Ever Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program Last July, Congress passed…
Read More: Federal Scholarship Tax CreditPennsylvania’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 educational choice a reality for all Pennsylvania students.
Education
SB 1 Expands to Include More Middle Class Families
Today, Senate Bill 1—legislation to expand school choice for Pennsylvania families—was amended and passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The amendment increase voucher eligibility in the fourth…
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“Progressive” Group Posing as Tea Party Lobbying Against School Choice
Tom Murse recently investigated the group behind the “NoVoucherTax” web, radio and TV ads. While the ads convey an anti-tax message, mimicking a Tea Party group, the group responsible is…
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White-out not Needed for Higher Ed Cuts
Today, the percentage of students enrolling at Pennsylvania's public universities who don't graduate four year ranges from 42-89 percent, with Penn State boasting a mere 58 percent. As for their…
Commentary
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Not So Fast, University Presidents
CF’s own Nate Benefield is quoted at length in a Capitolwire piece today by Pete DeCoursey that calls us “a leading advocate of the unpopular higher education cuts proposed by…
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More Evidence Vouchers are a Win-Win
The latest series of studies from the University of Arkansas’s Department of Education Reform on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) provide more evidence that vouchers improve academic performance…
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Higher Education Spending & Performance
Gov. Tom Corbett's FY 2011-12 budget proposal includes $63.6 billion in total operating spending—$27.3 billion in General Fund spending—a reduction of $3.3 billion from FY 2010-11. This budget restores overall…
Fact Sheet
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The Myth of Taxpayer Subsidies for Lower Tuition
CF’s Charles Mitchell sat down with Inside Academia‘s Andy Nash to discuss the false choice between higher tuition or higher taxpayer subsidies for universities. Watch the video:…
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Public Policy and Free Enterprise in Pennsylvania
Public Policy and Free Enterprise in Pennsylvania represents a partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation and the department of economics at Duquesne University. Key findings in these five papers include Over…
Commentary
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A higher education in greed
My letter to the editor on university subsidies in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Tribune Review: University presidents and lobbyists for state-funded universities, such as the University of Pittsburgh and…
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Scholars Aren’t Made from Dollars
All indications say academic performance remains inadequate, with thousands of children trapped in failing schools while waiting lists for charter schools and Educational Improvement Tax Credit scholarships grow. Proponents of…
Commentary
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Talking School Choice with Dick Armey
This week, CF Senior Fellow Jeff Coleman sat down with Dick Armey, former congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader and now Chairman of FreedomWorks, to talk about…
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Crystal Clear Evidence on School Choice
Released this month, a new comprehensive report looking at all the available empirical studies on school voucher programs found vouchers improve outcomes for both students and public schools.
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Students’ Ire Is Misplaced
As I write this, there are Pennsylvania college students walking past our State Capitol holding signs reading, “Save Our System.” It’s understandable: Since Gov. Corbett outlined his budget, these students…
Media
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Does State Aid to Universities Keep Tuition Low?
Cato’s Neal McCluskey has a new podcast discussing state funding for universities, specifically discussing how taxpayer funding has not kept tuition low, but rather that colleges have raised prices…
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Do School Districts have to Raise Property Taxes?
Following Gov. Corbett’s budget, school district officials and the tax-and-spend lobby have cried that cuts to state education spending will force schools to increase property taxes. Yet this ignores several…
Media
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Pennsylvanians Support School Choice
Muhlenberg College polled more than 470 Pennsylvanians for the Morning Call. Several questions focused on expanding school choice in Pennsylvania; here’s what the poll found: Muhlenberg College Poll Question…
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The Bubble Bursts at Penn State
The story is told that when someone asked John D. Rockefeller how much money is enough, he responded, "Just one dollar more." Penn State's President, Graham Spanier, like most college…
Commentary
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Education Spending and Results
As education spending and school choice, via Senate Bill 1, continues to be debated in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers should consider the recent testiomy of Andrew Coulson of the…
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Should Penn State Close Some Branch Campuses?
Among the dire predictions made by Penn State President Graham Spanier in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget cuts is that the university will have to close branch campuses.
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Parents Mustn’t Fall for Penn State Claims
In an op-ed in Sunday’s Harrisburg Patriot-News, Penn State President Graham Spanier repeated his now-familiar claims that his institution must receive more from taxpayers than the $165 million…
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Enacting Effective Merit Pay
Merit pay for teachers, proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett in his budget address, would tie teacher salaries to student progress, instead of increasing salaries annually regardless of performance. Only…
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