Education
Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024
Pennsylvania Public School Spending is Growing Public school spending reaches historic levels year after year. Pennsylvania public school revenue per student increased to $23,061 in the 2023-24 school year, up…
Read More: Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024Education 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
For Teachers, Knowledge is Power
Like any other group of professionals, teachers are a diverse lot, holding vastly differing social, cultural, and political views. So why is it that they’re lumped together and forced to…
Commentary
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Seniority Reform is Pro-Child, not Anti-Teacher
It seems clear that there is widespread agreement—across party lines and ideological barriers—that we must address school seniority rules and tenure reform. Check out this stunning video from MSNBC’s Morning…
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Funding Advance Band-Aid Won’t Stop Philly Schools’ Bleeding
Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Short Term Funding Solution Ignores Structural Problems Philadelphia Schools Need Fundamental Reform to End Education Crisis With 80 percent of students failing to make…
Press Release
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Protecting Children Should Trump Politics
A harrowing study shows that sexual misconduct by teachers is becoming more prevalent in the commonwealth. Since January, there have been 24 reported cases of sexual abuse by Pennsylvania teachers.
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Audio: Will a Cigarette Tax Really Save Philly Schools?
Yesterday, radio talk show host Dom Giordano talked to CF’s Nathan Benefield about the proposed cigarette tax to fund Philadelphia schools. Dom asked why we care so much about whether…
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A Note on Philadelphia School Spending
Last week, we released a summary of spending, enrollment and staffing trends in the Philadelphia School District over the past decade. After this release,…
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Cigarette Tax Won’t Save Philly Students
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Threatened Cuts Exaggerated, Quick-Fix Measures Not the Answer Trends Show More Funding Won’t Fix Philadelphia Schools August 1,…
Press Release
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Philadelphia School Trends, 2002-03 to 2012-13
The School District of Philadelphia is in desperate need of reform, but its many problems cannot be solved by simply raising taxes and increasing spending.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Philadelphia School Trends, 2002-03 to 2012-13Education
Teacher Evaluation System to Continue in Pittsburgh
Good news from the Pittsburgh School District, where the Pennsylvania Department of Education granted three year approval of Pittsburgh’s new teacher evaluation system. This despite the Pittsburgh Federation…
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PSEA Spokesman Wins the Pinocchio Award
Readers of PolicyBlog already know that Pennsylvania education spending is at a record high, that state funding to school districts for…
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Study: Charter Schools More Efficient
It is impossible to do more with less, they say; you cannot expect schools to achieve better results without increasing spending. Yet an essential new report from the University…
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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
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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