Education
Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocates
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer After a more than eight-year slog, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed what the Pennsylvania Constitution has said all…
Read More: Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocatesEducation is the first stepping-stone on the path to success, but Pennsylvania students face severe inequality among public school districts. Thousands who can’t afford private school are trapped in failing schools or situations that aren’t the right fit. The solution to this crisis is school choice. By offering families options outside their zip code-assigned district schools, students are better able to find their path to success. Charter schools, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts (ESAs), homeschooling, and other types of education choice must become a priority in Pennsylvania.
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Education
Redesigning Government to Balance State and Local Budgets
Pennsylvania taxpayers shoulder the 15th highest state and local tax burden in the country. Consequently, the Keystone State has seen an exodus of working people. Unsustainable growth in…
Memo
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Groundhog Day: Wolf Demands Millions More for Education
When Punxsutawney Phil casts a shadow, Pennsylvanians expect a long winter. When Gov. Wolf issues a press release, Pennsylvanians expect a massive tax hike. How fitting that Wolf…
Media
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Myth vs. Fact as Wolf Announces Education Plans
Myth vs. Fact as Wolf Announces Education Plans Pa. Spends $3,400 More Per Student than the National Average February 2, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today at 2 p.m., Gov. Wolf…
Press Release
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Open Floodgates of School Choice in Philadelphia
How can we expect any single school - public, private, or home school—to adequately serve the unique needs of every student who passes through its doors? We can't—and we don't have…
Commentary
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Evaluating Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law
In 2015, several states took action to improve the functionality of their public charter school laws. Unfortunately for Pennsylvania’s 130,000 charter students—as well as the thousands of students on currently…
Media
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Wolf’s $3 Billion Education Cut
Upon finally approving the majority of a state budget, Gov. Tom Wolf admonished the General Assembly for “cutting $95 million from public schools.” Yet it is the governor himself who…
Media
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Do Record-High Graduation Rates Matter?
In America’s high schools, test scores are stagnant while graduation rates are soaring. How can both be true? A December press release from the Department of Education…
Media
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Freedom on the Horizon for Pa. Teachers?
How much money will you have to pay a private political organization just to keep your job this year? If this question sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is—unless you…
Commentary
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Governor Wolf’s Budget Hostages
Tom Wolf finally admitted he held school children hostage in hopes of higher taxes: “We're now at a point where I don't want to hold the children of Pennsylvania hostage.” But…
Media
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Wolf’s Newest Education Funding Scheme
When Gov. Wolf finally agreed to sign the majority of an emergency funding bill, it remained unclear how his administration would distribute the increased education funding approved by the…
Media
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Wolf Misleads About Education “Cuts”
On Christmas Eve, Gov. Tom Wolf posted a blog attacking Republicans and the “extremist” budget now sitting on his desk—which passed the Senate on a bipartisan 33-17 vote. Wolf…
Media
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Students Need Scholarships, Not Sympathy
Gov. Tom Wolf’s insistence on higher taxes blocks state funding from school districts and jeopardizes private school scholarships for thousands of low- and middle-income students.
Media
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Wolf’s School Funding Cuts
In a nutshell, Gov. Tom Wolf’s guiding philosophy on education reform is to spend more money on public schools. Embracing the repeatedly-debunked myth of education cuts under the previous…
Media
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Tax Shifts and Education Spending
As proposals to reduce, reform, or (mostly) eliminate school property taxes continue to be debated in Harrisburg, many readers have asked about our position on a dollar-for-dollar tax shift,…
Media
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Philly Union Priorities: Politics over Teachers
How would you feel if your employer took funds meant for your health insurance and spent them on partisan politics? Sadly, this is a reality for thousands of teachers in…
Media
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For Property Tax Relief, Give Voters Control
Should voters have the right to approve property tax increases? This is a central point of contention within a rumored budget framework that purports to provide Pennsylvanians with property tax…
Media
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Cyber Schools: Serving an Important Need
In light of stagnating achievement among K-12 students, the last thing Pennsylvania should do is crack down on alternative educational options. Yet a growing chorus says 35,000 students enrolled…
Media
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Another Education Spending Record?
The conventional wisdom in Harrisburg suggests Gov. Wolf is nearing an agreement with the legislature on a state budget. The specific details remain largely unclear, although it appears the…
Media
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For Latinos, Education is Key to Success
For the Hispanic community, education is the key to making the American Dream a reality. Yet far too many Latinos remain victims of their ZIP code and socio-economic status when it…
Commentary
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Sobering Results on The Nation’s Report Card
Over the last quarter century, national education scores in both reading and math have modestly trended upward—until this year. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recently released its biannual…
Media
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Holding All Schools Hostage
Fell Charter Elementary School near Scranton will stop paying teachers next month and the school is considering a four-day week thanks to the state budget stalemate. Fell's announcement is…
Media
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