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
Are American Kids Stupid?
I love John Stossel reports – this Friday (on 20/20) he asks, “Are American Kids Stupid?” The answer, of course, is no, but our monopolistic public school system is.
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Unions Win: Florida Supreme Court Rules Against School Choice
News release from the Institute for Justice…. Florida Supreme Court Strikes Down School Choice Washington, D.C.-In a major blow to education reform in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court today struck…
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Rocky Mountain High
Denver enacts the nation’s first merit pay system for teachers in a large district. See this National Center for Policy Analysis summary of Denver’s new system and other pay…
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Myths about Public Education
Here is short article summarizing a few of the debunked myths about public education spending: National Center for Policy Analysis – Five Myths About Education. For those still looking…
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Court Bans Mention of Intelligent Design
The Dover Schools case has reached a conclusion: Judge bars the school district from mentioning ‘intelligent design.’ The lesson to take from this sage is that government run schools…
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The public school monopoly hates competition
It was always only a matter of when, not if, the defenders of the status quo in public education would seek to hamstring their competition. First, no charter school…
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Striking teachers strike again…and again…and again…
Students in the northeast PA school district of Crestwood may be getting a few more days off, thanks to the PSEA labor unions efforts to raise taxes on homeowners…
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Universal preschool is inviting universal disaster
SF Chronicle article – Universal preschool is inviting universal disaster. Advocates of universal pre-school in Pennsylvania would do well to heed this warning.
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Is the NEA Really a NUT?
Is the NEA really a NUT? By asking, I’m not casting aspersions on the National Education Association’s sanity, just on its choice of name. The NEA’s British counterpart really is…
Commentary
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Throwing a Party for the Educational Status Quo
The National Education Association recently concluded its annual convention in Los Angeles, gathering 8,000 delegates in celebration of the status quo in public education. When attendees weren’t offering a vigorous…
Commentary
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The Union Behind the Curtain
California’s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving his 49 colleagues across the country a quick tutorial in political courage. And Gov. Ed Rendell would be wise to sit up in class…
Commentary
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School Choice Works!
A Quick Guide to the Scholarly Literature on School Choice During a recent round of visits with print journalists, I spoke to a newspaper editor who told me that she…
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The Somerset Nine: Pennsylvanias Magnificent Seven
What does it take for school board members to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money? For the nine members of the Somerset Area School District (SASD) board of directors, the…
Commentary
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Union Propaganda Can’t Hide Charter Schools’ Success
There they go again. Back in July 2002, during a slow news period, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a school employee labor union, issued a widely cited report "showing"…
Commentary
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How to Increase Teacher Pay
Few people will disagree that the best school teachers are often paid less than they deserve. But even fewer people agree when it comes to figuring out what to do…
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Pennsylvania Needs School Board Rent Control
Pennsylvanians are once again being reminded this spring that they never actually own their homes; they only “rent” them from their local school board. As school districts across the commonwealth…
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Referendum: School Taxes
Pennsylvania homeowners lack the right to vote on school property tax increases, while citizens in 44 other states enjoy some form of taxpayer protection. As Pennsylvania legislators debate whether or…
Fact Sheet
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The Fight for Educational Freedom
Matthew J. Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation, delivered the following remarks at The Heritage Foundation's Resource Bank dinner in Chicago on May 29, 2004, in honor of Virginia Walden-Ford,…
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Set Our Teachers Free!
Remarks of Matthew J. Brouillette, President & CEO, The Commonwealth Foundation I'm Matthew Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation. Prior to moving into the world of public policy, I…
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Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special Education
If you are an African-American or Hispanic male in a predominantly White public school in Pennsylvania, there's a good chance you have been labeled as "Learning Disabled." That is the…
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Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special Education
Executive Summary…
Fact Sheet
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