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
Basic Education Funding Commission’s Adopted Report Is a Partisan Misfire
Harrisburg, Pa., January 11, 2024 — Today, the Basic Education Funding Commission released its funding recommendations for Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts. The commission, comprised of a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Shapiro…
Press Release
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Education Funding in the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania Outspends the Nation on Public Schools Pennsylvania ranks among the highest-spending states on public education. According to National Center for Education Statistics data, as of fiscal year (FY) 2021,…
Backgrounder
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Another $6 BILLION Increase in Education Spending Is a Recipe for Failure
Harrisburg, Pa., January 10, 2024 — This week, the Basic Education Funding Commission—a bipartisan, 15-member group of lawmakers and administration officials—faces a deadline to release its funding report detailing the commission’s…
Press Release
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Lifeline and Education Choice Myths and Facts
Summary Lifeline Scholarships, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program, would offer scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 per year for students in the commonwealth’s lowest-performing…
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania’s Most Common Education Choice Myths—Debunked
Harrisburg, Pa., January 4, 2024 — The Commonwealth Foundation today released a report addressing the most common myths about education spending, the success of educational choice programs, and the need for programs…
Press Release
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Shapiro’s New Year’s resolution
Originally published at Broad + Liberty It’s the season to shed bad habits. And Gov. Josh Shapiro, as he enters year two in office, should consider dropping this overdone…
Media Hit
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School choice won in Pennsylvania this year—and 2024 is even more promising
Originally published at The Patriot-News School choice advocates in Pennsylvania received good news and even better news with the last legislative session of the year. First, the…
Media Hit
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Stefano: Why Penn’s sudden defense of free speech feels disingenuous
For years, conservatives have called on institutions of higher learning to recommit themselves to open inquiry and tolerance for politically unpopular speech. What’s changed? University of Pennsylvania faculty are calling…
Press Release
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Why Penn’s sudden defense of free speech feels disingenuous
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer The latest from the University of Pennsylvania’s campus is that faculty members are now demanding a “New Constitution” that…
Media Hit
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Commonwealth Foundation Pa. Survey Finds President Biden, Donald Trump in Dead Heat
Harrisburg, Pa., December 19, 2023 — When it comes to candidates who Pennsylvanians are unwilling to vote for, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are in a dead heat, according to a…
Press Release
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Commonwealth Foundation Survey Finds Voters Struggling to Pinpoint Governor Shapiro’s Successes
Harrisburg, Pa., December 19, 2023 — When asked to list significant accomplishments by Gov. Josh Shapiro, 61 percent of Pennsylvania voters either stated he had not (36 percent) or were unsure…
Press Release
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Tax Credit Scholarships: An Investment in Educational Opportunity
Summary Pennsylvania scholarship organizations awarded 77,670 K–12 scholarships through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) in the 2021–22 school year. The average 2021–22 scholarship…
Fact Sheet
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School Choice Spotlight on Private Education – Syreeta Campbell
Syreeta lives in North Philadelphia and has chosen to send her son to private school because of the opportunities available to him there that are non-existent at his local…
School Choice Spotlight
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School Choice Report, Season 1 Finale
In our School Choice Report Season 1 finale, host David Hardy is joined by Ursinus College Associate Professor of Education John Spencer. Professor Spencer believes schooling ought to be thought…
Podcast
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Is Educational Freedom Poised to Transcend Union Power?
Originally published at The American Spectator Philadelphia students lose out on academic work necessary for their long-term success because they spend part of their school day navigating through unsafe…
Media Hit
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Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Historic $150M Increase in Education Tax Credit Programs
Harrisburg, Pa., December 15, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives sent to the Governor’s desk a new school code bill, House Bill 301, which makes a groundbreaking…
Press Release
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A Tale of Two Chambers in Pennsylvania
Originally published in The Mercury The Pennsylvania General Assembly is currently a Dickensian tale of two chambers. One chamber — the Senate — exemplifies the best of the times:…
Media Hit
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Pa. Tracking Poll: Biden Faces Political Headwinds on Eve of Pa. Visit
Harrisburg, Pa., December 7, 2023 – As President Biden prepares for his ninth visit to Pennsylvania in 2023—his most-visited state aside from Delaware, his home state—he is struggling to connect with…
Press Release
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Stagnating PSSA Scores Illustrate Desperate Need for Education Opportunity
Harrisburg, Pa., November 28, 2023 — The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) 2023 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores demonstrate the critical need to reform the state’s education system, new …
Press Release
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School Choice Report, Episode 22
In the latest School Choice Report, Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Sr. Fellow David Hardy interviews Dr. James Woodworth, Research Fellow with the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). They delve into…
Podcast
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2023 PSSA Scores Highlight the Need for Educational Opportunity
Summary The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores from spring 2023. Test results show that fourth- and eighth-grade students struggle to…
Fact Sheet
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