Education 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.

Education

VIDEO: Charter Schools Threatened by Punitive Rules

  • January 2, 2014

With a waiting list 30,000 students long, you’d think Philadelphia would be working to expand the reach of charter schools. Sadly, Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission is seeking just the opposite, …

Media

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Education

Top 5 Articles of 2013

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 31, 2013

Yesterday, we gave you the 5 most popular blog posts of 2013.  Today, we are highlighting the 5 most read articles of 2013 on our website. 1) The (Growing)…

Media

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Education

Top 5 Blog Posts of 2013

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 30, 2013

As 2013 winds to a close, we thought we’d run down the top stories of the past year.  Here are Commonwealth Foundation’s top 5 blog posts, as chosen by you…

Media

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Education

PODCAST: StudentsFirst & Performance Profiles

  • December 19, 2013

In our latest podcast, Ashley DeMauro, PA state director for StudentsFirst, discusses Pennsylvania’s recently implemented school performance profiles. What do they measure? How can parents learn about their…

Media

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Education

Philadelphia’s Education Crisis Worsens

  • December 19, 2013

More than 80 percent of 4th and 8th grade students in the School District of Philadelphia didn’t reach proficiency in math and reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card. When…

Media

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Education

Outdated Seniority Rules Harm Pittsburgh Students

  • Priya Brannick
  • December 12, 2013

Yesterday, we reported that the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers is trying to lower evaluation standards for teachers it had previously helped craft. Under Pittsburgh’s new system, which goes into…

Media

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Education

Teachers’ Union Wants Lower Teacher Standards

  • Priya Brannick
  • December 11, 2013

Four years ago, Pittsburgh School District, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, embarked on an innovative effort to evaluate teachers. Administrators and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) collaborated to create…

Media

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Education

Cyber Schools Deserve Fair Treatment

  • December 6, 2013

Alyssa Weaver is a poster-child for the benefits of choice in public education.  At the age of twelve, Alyssa was diagnosed with a crippling case of scoliosis which, in…

Commentary

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Education

Union Dues Backing Political Groups Prompted My Resignation

  • November 19, 2013

This perspective on union spending by Pennsylvania public school teacher John Cress originally appeared at Free to Teach, a project of the Commonwealth Foundation. I have been a middle school…

Media

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Education

Reform Cybers Without Arbitrary Cuts

  • November 18, 2013

How will more than 35,000 cyber school students be affected by legislation pending in the state Senate this week? There’s both good and bad news on the horizon and your…

Media

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Education

Teacher: Forced Union Dues a “Kick in the Teeth”

  • November 11, 2013

This perspective on union spending by Pennsylvania public school teacher Rob Brough originally appeared at Free to Teach, a project of the Commonwealth Foundation. I left my teachers union…

Media

Read More: Teacher: Forced Union Dues a “Kick in the Teeth”

Education

False Claims Fuel Charter Attacks

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 11, 2013

The Education Law Center has issued an attack on legislation to allow universities to approve new charter schools. In a single paragraph, a spokesman for the group makes makes…

Media

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Education

School Spending Transparency Coming to Pa.?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 8, 2013

Pennsylvania earned a “C+” for providing citizens information on how public schools spend money, according to a recent report from the Cato Institute titled “Cracking the…

Media

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Education

Dues Deduction For Public Sector Unions Is An Offense To Taxpayers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 5, 2013

It was the last straw for teacher Steve Calabro. When the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) ran advertisements claiming any teacher who didn’t contribute to the union PAC was part…

Commentary

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Education

The Lost Year: How Seniority Harms Teachers and Kids

  • Priya Brannick
  • October 29, 2013

Rep. Vanessa Brown (D-Phila.) knows what it’s like to lose a good school teacher. For her son, it was nearly a matter of life and death. For years, Brown has…

Media

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Education

Cyber School Centers Embrace Community Values

  • Jessica Barnett
  • October 24, 2013

Cyber schools have been falsely maligned as impersonal and anti-social environments for learning, but the truth is far different. Case in point: Achievement House Cyber Charter School is bringing blended…

Media

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Education

Podcast: Teachers on Union Exploitation – Part 2

  • October 22, 2013

Julie Raab and Keith Williams are speaking out about how union influence affects their teaching jobs.  They, and many teachers across the state, are fed up with Pennsylvania’s unfair…

Media

Read More: Podcast: Teachers on Union Exploitation – Part 2

Education

Voters Support Education Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 22, 2013

Pennsylvania parents and voters want education reform. A new poll from StudentsFirst shows that Pennsylvania families strongly support educational reforms, including incentives for high performing teachers (74 percent support),…

Media

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Education

Podcast: Teachers on Union Exploitation – Part 1

  • Priya Brannick
  • October 14, 2013

Julie Raab and Keith Williams are speaking out about how union influence affects their teaching jobs.  They, and many teachers across the state, are fed up with Pennsylvania's unfair…

Media

Read More: Podcast: Teachers on Union Exploitation – Part 1

Education

Unions’ Taxpayer-Subsidized Politics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 14, 2013

How would you feel if you were forced to pay for a political cause that worked against your own beliefs and values? Outraged? Victimized? Just plain angry? Many Pennsylvania teachers,…

Commentary

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Education

Saving Pennsylvania’s Best Teachers

  • Priya Brannick
  • October 11, 2013

This week, Commonwealth Foundation placed billboards in Philadelphia subway stations to highlight the problem of seniority rules in our public schools. Currently, Section 1125…

Media

Read More: Saving Pennsylvania’s Best Teachers