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
Establishment Continues to Attack Cyber Schools
At a hearing yesterday, Pennsylvania School Boards Association touted additional proposals to cut off funding for cyber charter schools. One of these proposals would be that cyber schools would…
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The Green Schools Ruse
Yesterday the House passed Rep. Drucker’s bill to exclude any costs associated with making a school building LEED certified from a possible…
Media
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Who’s to Blame for the Rising Costs of Higher Ed?
Rendell’s FY 2010-11 budget funds state related universities at the same level as FY 2009-10 budget. University officials claim they need an increase in state funding to keep tuition…
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Pennsylvania School District Sued for Spying on Children
In a story that sounds like a George Orwell novel, the Lower Merion School District is being sued for using laptops to spy on children. The school district gave…
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Climategate is an Embarassment
Penn State sophomore Samuel Settle pens a letter on why he is embarrassed of professor Michael Mann’s behavior, and his school’s white-washing of an investigation. Click here for our…
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Penn State Whitewashes Climategate Investigation
HARRISBURG, PA – The Commonwealth Foundation today released the following statement in response to Penn State’s internal investigation of alleged scientific misconduct by Michael Mann, a prominent global warming…
Press Release
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PSU Clears Mann on 3 of 4 Allegations
Penn State’s internal investigation into the scientific conduct of Michael Mann cleared him of three of the four allegations against him. The report states they could find “no credible…
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Milwaukee Voucher Program Raises Graduation Rates
A new study from School Choice Wisconsin finds that students receiving a scholarship through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) were 18% more likely to graduate than Milwaukee…
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The Higher Education Bubble
Subsidies in the form of loans or grants to students have been an integral part of higher education…
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The Growth and Benefits of Cyber Education
The Heritage Foundation has a new background on online education, from a national perspective. They write: As many as 1 million children (roughly 2 percent of the…
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Mann-Made Global Warming?
Climategate was born in late November 2009 with the release of more than a thousand emails and other documents from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia…
Commentary
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New Head Start Study Shows No Long-Term Effects of Preschool
A study on students in Head Start released yesterday by the US Department of Health and Human Services shows no long-term academic improvement from the program. In fact, the…
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Climategate & Penn State
Just days after news broke about what has been dubbed "Climategate," Penn State University (PSU) announced that it would investigate the conduct of Michael Mann, a professor in PSU's Department…
Fact Sheet
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PA’s “Race to the Top” Plan Upsets Cyber Schools and PSEA
The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” plan – attempting to get about $400 million from federal taxpayers via the “stimulus” – has drawn a number of critics.
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Following Our Bad Example: The Tuition Tax Idea Spreads
The consideration of a tuition tax is appealing to populations beyond Pennsylvania as cities look to prop up budgets. Leave it to California to be the first to jump on…
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Revamp Charter School Laws To Increase School Choice
Pennsylvania came in 11th among 40 states in the annual ranking of state charter school laws by the Center for Education Reform. While the Commonwealth has been better in…
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New Higher Ed Proposals are More of the Same Failed Policies
Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato has proposed a series of higher education policies aimed at increasing the amount of college grads by 6% in 4 years and improving affordability. All…
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Higher Taxes and Tuition Coming for PA College Students
The Tribune Review reports Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is continuing to threaten a tax on tuition, attempting to use a jedi mind trick to persuade universities to cough up…
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The ABC’s of School Choice
The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, a renowned advocate for school choice programs, recently published their 2009-10 edition of “The ABC’s of School Choice” in which they highlight…
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Costing-Out the Price of Education
Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield, Director of Policy Research, Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives to the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee December 8, 2009 Thank you, Sen. Piccola and…
Testimony
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State Report on PA’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit
The Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee put out a preliminary report on the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) a few months ago, but the report has been sitting…
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