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
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:…
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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 …
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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…
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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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To address the achievement gap, students need choice
Originally published at The Philadelphia Tribune To be sure, closing the achievement gaps in education — specifically, the ones that separate the poor from the wealthy and the students…
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The hard-fought but inevitable reward of school choice
Originally published at The Sentinel Students like Myles Slade-Bowers remind us of how far Pennsylvania has come with education reform. Myles was supposed to attend Steelton-Highspire High…
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Rigor. Standards. Responsibility.
Originally published in The Philadelphia Citizen This November marks the 50th anniversary of the murder of a lesser-known Black hero, arguably the most innovative educator of his…
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Pennsylvania Senate Stands with Students (Again); House Democrats Cut Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Low-Income Families (Again)
Harrisburg, Pa., November 15, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate sent House Bill (HB) 301—a key portion of the state’s school code—to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.
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Pennsylvania exports a lot — especially bad political leadership
Originally published at Broad + Liberty As the nation’s sixth-largest manufacturing state, Pennsylvania exports a lot of things — from food and pharma to energy and defense. Unfortunately, as…
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School Choice Report, Episode 21
Derrell Bradford is the president of 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now. He leads communications and policy, and trains and recruits local leaders across the country to serve…
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Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell joins the Dawn Stensland Show on November 7, 2023
Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell discusses Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s shift on education policy.
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Jennifer Stefano: Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 years
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s lack of bipartisan leadership during his first nine months as governor has resulted in the passage of very few policy initiatives, notes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist…
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Josh Shapiro is the least productive Pennsylvania governor of the last 50 years
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania Republicans were in a lather last November after Josh Shapiro sailed into the governorship and Democrats took the state House of Representatives…
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Sen. Ward sees momentum for Lifeline Scholarships despite union pressure, state house turmoil
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Political figures are advancing unsustainable arguments about education, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Westmoreland County Republican, said in an interview. Wealthy…
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School Choice Report, Episode 20
Our guest in this episode is CEO and President of Pennsylvania Families for Education Choice Sharon Sedlar. She strongly believes that parents are uniquely qualified to make educational decisions for…
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The nation is watching Gov. Shapiro; he should lead on educational freedom in Pennsylvania
Originally published at The Patriot-News The state has a public education system with students trapped in failing schools. The governor wants to create the school choice funding they…
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Jennifer Stefano: Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher education
University of Pennsylvania donors are withdrawing their financial support over the university’s failure to condemn as terrorism recent Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, notes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth…
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Jewish donors and allies’ letters to Penn expose the moral rot in American higher education
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer In the past two weeks, several Jewish megadonors and their allies have thunderously announced that they are pulling financial support from their…
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Shapiro Must Reset His Legislative Strategy
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania The recent sexual harassment scandal rocking Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has made many headlines. And though Shapiro must take these accusations seriously, there could be a…
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School Choice Report, Episode 19
From working to expand tax credit scholarships to educating everyone from elected officials to parents on the benefits of school choice, Stephen (Steve) Bloom is a leading voice on one…
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