
Education
The kids are not all right
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Our children’s test scores are down. They haven’t even reached pre-Covid levels, which wasn’t anything to brag about then. And the students are…
Read More: The kids are not all rightEducation 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.
Related Issues
Education
Taxing Business Won’t Save Students
Paul Battista told a Congressional subcommittee last year: “We can now pay a higher family-sustaining wage! We have people working for us that are the primary breadwinners of their household.”…
Commentary
Read More: Taxing Business Won’t Save StudentsEducation
Is There a Pension Crisis?
PolicyBlog readers will be well-familiar with the fact that Pennsyvlania state funding for public schools is at a record high. So why do government union leaders and some…
Media
Read More: Is There a Pension Crisis?Education
Will Higher Taxes and Funding Save Students?
Philadelphia is in the midst of a crisis. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 80 percent of 4th and 8th grade students did not reach proficiency in math and…
Media
Read More: Will Higher Taxes and Funding Save Students?Education
Hope and Success in Opportunity Scholarship Program
James Cromartie is a 7th grader at the School of Church Farm in Exton, Pa. His mom, Lynne, is grateful for the school’s challenging academics, art, music and athletic programs.
Media
Read More: Hope and Success in Opportunity Scholarship ProgramEducation
State Education Spending at Record High
The recently passed Pennsylvania state budget sets a new record for state funding for public schools. The chart below illustrates this growth over the years. The total budgeted for the…
Media
Read More: State Education Spending at Record HighEducation
Teachers’ Views Matter
From my vantage point on the frontlines of Pennsylvania’s public schools, I see teachers’ unions with money to spend and power to wield who are unresponsive to the very people…
Commentary
Read More: Teachers’ Views MatterEducation
Give Teachers the Freedom to Choose
Let teachers worry about teaching; let politicians worry about politics. That’s been my mantra throughout my career as an educator. But, sadly, most public school teachers in Pennsylvania don’t have…
Commentary
Read More: Give Teachers the Freedom to ChooseEducation
Why I Left Teaching: Union Politics
I taught science full-time for more than two decades and enjoyed a rewarding career educating a generation of public school students in Westmoreland County. I retired from teaching earlier than…
Commentary
Read More: Why I Left Teaching: Union PoliticsEducation
Union Leaders’ Lobbying Hurts Teachers, Students
Last week we highlighted a California judge who ruled that laws enforcing teacher seniority and tenure were unconstitutional and violated students’ rights to a quality education. But here in…
Media
Read More: Union Leaders’ Lobbying Hurts Teachers, StudentsEducation
Politics Threatens Progress in Pittsburgh
Results from Pittsburgh’s new teacher evaluation system were unveiled today, identifying both excellent teachers and those that need improvement. The goal of this new evaluation system is to allow the…
Media
Read More: Politics Threatens Progress in PittsburghEducation
A Fair Funding Formula: School Choice
Although it doesn’t fit the popular narrative of cash-starved school districts, spending on education is at an all-time high. The Pennsylvania Department of Education budget reached $11.2 billion in FY…
Media
Read More: A Fair Funding Formula: School ChoiceEducation
Students Win over Seniority Laws
Big news out of California, where a state judge struck down that state’s teacher seniority and tenure laws. The lawsuit was filed by 9 students who believed that…
Media
Read More: Students Win over Seniority LawsEducation
An Inconvenient Truth: School Spending & Revenue at All-Time Highs
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Contrary to Cries of Desperation, District Revenue & Spending are at All-Time Highs Spending on Salaries Dwarfed by Pension Costs…
Press Release
Read More: An Inconvenient Truth: School Spending & Revenue at All-Time HighsEducation
Political Fairness Issue Goes Before Lawmakers
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Legal Loophole Exploits Taxpayers & Union Members for Politics Paycheck Protection Promises to Restore Fairness & Accountability June 5,…
Press Release
Read More: Political Fairness Issue Goes Before LawmakersEducation
Five Facts on Pennsylvania Public Schools
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released its annual summary of public school finances for the 2012-13 school year. Here are some basic facts about school finances and spending,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Five Facts on Pennsylvania Public SchoolsEducation
Pension Reform Benefits Teachers & Taxpayers
Standard & Poor’s recently issued a stern warning that they would lower Pennsylvania’s bond rating—making it more expensive for the state to borrow money—unless they “adopt meaningful pension reform.” This…
Commentary
Read More: Pension Reform Benefits Teachers & TaxpayersEducation
Philadelphia Charter Schools Fight for Students
In the search for a solution to its nearly $30 million year-end deficit—not to mention a projected $216 million budget gap next year—the School District of Philadelphia is once…
Media
Read More: Philadelphia Charter Schools Fight for StudentsEducation
PA Teacher Speaks Out on Union Issues
Last Wednesday, CF President Matt Brouillette guest hosted WHP580’s Ken Matthews Show in Harrisburg. Matt spent some time talking to Keith Williams, a high school English teacher from New Oxford…
Media
Read More: PA Teacher Speaks Out on Union IssuesEducation
Ignoring Pension Costs Won’t Work
We’ve mentioned before the big lie of “$1 billion cut from education.” Part of the reason that lie continues is that union executives ignore a big chunk of education…
Media
Read More: Ignoring Pension Costs Won’t WorkEducation
School Spending is the Issue
My letter to the editor in yesterday’s York Daily Record addresses some inaccuracies about education spending in Pennsylvania. Your editorial on education funding (“Funding formula a good…
Media
Read More: School Spending is the IssueEducation
Fewer Districts Seek Big Property Tax Hikes
Government union leaders like to claim mythical state education funding cuts caused widespread school property tax increases. But new data shows fewer school districts are actually receiving exceptions…
Media
Read More: Fewer Districts Seek Big Property Tax Hikes