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
Two New Studies Show Benefits of School Choice
As the debate on school choice continues in Pennsylvania, a couple recent studies highlight the benefits of school voucher programs in the U.S. and internationally. The first study looks at…
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Penn State’s Smallest Tuition Hike in Years
The conventional wisdom ever since March 8, when Gov. Tom Corbett made his budget address, has been very simple: The sky is falling! How, exactly? In the form of crippling…
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How Does Seniority Mandate Help Kids, Exactly?
Here’s a letter to the editor I sent to the Erie Times on furloughing teachers: National Education Association board member Sam Talarico unsurprisingly takes strong exception to the…
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President Obama Is Right
Savor that headline, because you won’t see it on this blog too often. But it’s true. As our friend Lindsey Burke at the Heritage Foundation points out, today at…
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Corbett’s First Inning Scorecard
July signals the coming of two breaks in Pennsylvania—Major League Baseball's All-Star break and the end of the state budget season. Having endured his first budget as the commonwealth's chief…
Commentary
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Will the “Year of School Choice” Come to PA?
Today’s Wall Street Journal has an editorial that begins as follows: School may be out for the summer, but school choice is in, as states across the nation…
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Cut Waste at This Temple, and I Will Praise It in Three Days
Temple University just announced that it is raising tuition by ten percent, blaming the new state budget. Temple is an outstanding example of an institution that should have spent…
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Are Tuition Hikes Forced by Cuts in State Subsidies?
Today, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) voted to raise tuition by 7.5 percent for 2011-12. Many have tried to place the blame solely on the reduction…
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More Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying from School Districts
Public schools complain of underfunding, yet they are spending your tax dollars to lobby for more funding and against school choice, as property taxes skyrocket. The latest salvo comes from…
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University Subsidy Bills Nixed, What Now?
Last night, Pennsylvania House Democrats voted to defeat legislation on state subsidies for Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University, as well as for…
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Don’t Fall for the False Choice on Tuition and Taxpayers
I see that right now, our legislators are once again debating cuts to the generous subsidies our public universities receive from taxpayers. Some are claiming that if the cuts pass,…
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Do Seven Rapes Get Your Attention?
Today, CF delivered Life Savers to state legislators to remind them they still have three days to be a life-saver for kids in failing and violent schools. One…
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Tightening the Belt on Higher Education
Tuition rates continue to skyrocket year after year, but the cost of providing a college education hasn’t increased much over the past 50 years. In a recent Cato study,…
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Saving Harrisburg?
In their efforts to “save Harrisburg” through a state takeover should the city fail to adopt Act 47 recommendations, lawmakers have overlooked one extremly effective option: school choice. Despite state…
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The Razor’s Edge of School Choice
When Vicky Miller and her daughter Emalie moved to Harrisburg because of a job and financial necessity, they considered their educational options. Five elementary schools in Harrisburg City School District…
Commentary
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Can Students Wait One More Year for School Choice?
In 76 days, more than 106,000 kids will return to failing and violent schools, unless the legislature takes action this week. Parents like Joy and Lorenzo are…
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Give Voters a Say on School Taxes
Five years ago, state lawmakers passed Act 1 to provide property tax relief and give voters a voice on school tax increases. But since slot machine gambling was introduced in…
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Father Knows Best for Son
Yesterday, we shared the story of Joy Herbert, a heavily involved parent of son, Anthony, 17, a former ‘A' student who was forced to drop out of school due violence. …
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Philadelphia Public Schools Among Worst in Nation
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which compares educational performance across all 50 states and major cities, Philadelphia public schools compare poorly, even to other large urban…
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The End of Last In, First Out?
Last month the state Senate passed SB 612, which allows schools to furlough teachers for economic reasons, which is currently prohibited. The House is preparing to vote on a…
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School Choice Around the Country
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are debating school choice for students in failing schools, which models school programs enacted in other states (many of which have been and are currently being…
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