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
Podcast: Cyber School in Real Life
Meet Jake Swink. Jake is a 2013 graduate of Bloomsburg University with a degree in Computer Science. In a few weeks, he will be utilizing these skills as a 2nd…
Media
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Five Facts on the Philadelphia Schools Crisis
Things have reached a fever pitch in Philadelphia as the city’s school district—the eighth-largest in America—is scrambling to close its $300 million deficit and open schools on time. As protestors…
Media
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PSEA’s Political Cartoon Targets Corbett, Belittles Teachers
This perspective was written by Steve Calabro, a cyber charter school educator in Pennsylvania. This latest political email alert from the Pennsylvania State Education Association—using union dues, I might add—is…
Media
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School Districts’ Fund Balances Grow Despite Budget Squeeze
Despite claims of severe budget cuts, school districts’ fund balances—their rainy day funds—grew last year. School districts increased their fund balances in 2011-12 by more than $200 million. As of…
Media
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The Truth on Cyber School Performance
Here is a letter to the editor I submitted to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Pennsylvania cyber school performance: Mary Niederberger reports on a new, largely positive charter school study…
Media
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Burger Flipper or National Merit Scholar?
Mechanicsburg student Colin Knott is a National Merit Scholar—putting him in the top one percent of students nationwide—and already has 25 college credits under his belt prior to his first…
Media
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Public School Staffing Up, Enrollment Down
In the last two years, schools have reduced their total staffing. Yet despite this short-term decline, public school staff has increased by more than 17,000 since 2000. Over the…
Media
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The Canard of Corbett’s Education Cuts
Despite the popular claim that Gov. Corbett “cut $1 billion” in education spending in the state budget, state funding for public schools is at an all-time high. In 2011-12, federal…
Media
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6 Trends in Public School Spending
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently updated files from public schools’ annual financial reports and enrollment reports. Here are six key trends from those data.
Memo
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SAT Scores by State 2012
EDITORS NOTE: Click here for the 2014 SAT Scores by state How did states compare on the SAT in 2012? The College Board’s 2012 annual report on college and…
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Happy National Employee Freedom Week, America
National Employee Freedom Week is about informing workers about their rights and empowering them to exercise their freedoms. Ultimately, there are ways for workers to leave the Hotel California. We…
Commentary
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Pension Cost Conundrum: Cut Teachers or Raise Taxes?
A recent report released by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute estimates Philadelphia School District (SDP) pension payments will total $349 million by 2020, which is a 378 percent increase…
Media
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Districts Save What Cybers Spend
How much of Pennsylvania’s education spending goes to public cyber schools? Just 1 percent, or $319 million. Keep this in mind when reading about new data on school district…
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Cyber Schools Receive Less Per Student
Pennsylvania cyber schools receive on average about 20 percent less revenue per student than school districts spend. Like other public charter schools, cyber schools receive funds only when families choose…
Media
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Cyber Schools: 1% of Education Spending
In 2010-11, public cyber schools cost $319 million out of $25 billion on PreK-12 spending—just 1% of Pennsylvania’s total public education spending. Cyber vs. School District Spending, 2010-11 Total Per-Student…
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Poll: Support for Parental Choices in Education Growing
A new poll has found a very healthy majority—62 percent—of the state’s registered and likely voters favor parental choice in public education. And 87 percent think parents should have…
Media
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Cyber School Funding in Pennsylvania
Cyber schools currently spend significantly less per student than school districts and only represent about 1% of spending on public education. Discrepancies in cyber school funding are the result of…
Memo
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Charter School Rescues Students, Community
What does a neighborhood do when its surrounding school districts are underperforming, or downright violent and failing? Where can the kids go? In the Pittsburgh area, many students find refuge…
Media
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Cyber Schools Save the Best & Brightest
Avi Stein, a resident of Camp Hill, overcame learning disabilities and the challenges of mentoring four younger siblings to be one of only 20 Central Pennsylvania students honored with a…
Media
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From Cyber School to West Point
Hannah Tuffy, 20, is one of the first cyber school students to be accepted at the prestigious U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The accomplished Scranton native credits her success…
Media
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Students Excel with School Choice
Hannah and Alyssa will tell you that the freedom to choose a school that works for them was essential to their academic success. They are just two of the…
Media
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