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
PA School District Uses Tax Dollars to Fight School Choice
The West Shore School District—my district, as it happens—has issued a “newsletter” with the clear, but unstated, goal of opposing Senate Bill…
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School Daze Ends with Choice
If Pennsylvania's public schools are broken, why don't we just fix them? Easier said than done, of course, but it's not from a lack of trying. For decades, taxpayers, parents…
Commentary
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Chart of the Day: Education Spending Under SB 1
Below is a chart showing estimated spending in Pennsylvania under Senate Bill 1 (this assumes $50 million for opportunity scholarships, $75 million for…
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Pennsylvania School Choice Resources
Senate Bill 1, The Opportunity Scholarship Act sponsored by Sen. Jeff Piccola (R) and Sen. Tony Williams (D), would expand scholarships available to children in lower- and middle-income families through…
Fact Sheet
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School Choice: Why, What, and How
Nine of the 10 "gold standard" evaluations of voucher programs reported statistically significant gains in achievement for all or some voucher recipients. In 18 out of 19 academically rigorous studies,…
Fact Sheet
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Senate Bill 1: Analysis & Recommendations
Senate Bill 1, The Opportunity Scholarship Act sponsored by Sen. Jeff Piccola (R) and Sen. Tony Williams (D), would expand scholarships available to children in lower- and middle-income families through…
Fact Sheet
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Even with Act 1, School Property Taxes Climb
The Patriot News takes a look at the failure of Act 1 of 2006 (special session) to slow the growth of school property taxes. Indeed, since the slots law…
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The Evidence on School Vouchers
Here is a letter I submitted to the Philadelphia Daily News to correct some “facts” about school choice: Elmer Smith’s column denouncing a school choice proposal…
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Union Dues for More Lobbyists
Last month, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) announced it was raising mandatory dues on teachers and school employees by 11%. Where is that money going? You’d better believe…
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School Choice & Competition Improve ALL Schools
On Friday, Andrew Lefevre blogged about a woman who was sentenced to jail for lying about her zip code in hopes of sending her daughters to a better school.
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Friendly Mis-Fire on School Choice
In a column, Chris Freind attacked Senate Bill 1, the Piccola-Williams “Opportunity Scholarship Act.” Having obviously neglected to tune into our webcast on SB 1 with Sen. Piccola,…
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Sen. Piccola and Matt Brouillette Discuss School Choice in PA
If you missed our webcast discussing Senate Bill 1 and school choice with Sen. Jeff Piccola, you can watch a replay here.
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New Ad Takes on Teacher Unions
A new full page advertisement for school choice is appearing in newspapers throughout the state this week. Cutting straight to the point, the ad goes after teacher unions and school…
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Does School Choice Violate The Pennsylvania Constitution?
Good video from PA Independent on the Constitutionality of school vouchers in Pennsylvania, with Dick Komer, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice.
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Parents Need Choices & Control of Their Children’s Education
Almost 40,000 students used an EITC scholarship last year—with an average value of $1,000—to attend a better or safer school. The average annual family income for these students was only…
Commentary
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Has More Money Improved School District Performance?
A recent study by the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education (STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which is a good cause to use an acronym)…
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PSBA’s Web of Lies on School Vouchers
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), in a desperate attempt to preserve the status quo in education, has launched a new portal, VoucherWatch. Of the many pieces of misinformation…
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To These People, Gov. Corbett’s “C” Word Is an Epithet
Well. It sounds like the media and the educational establishment interpreted Gov. Tom Corbett’s inaugural address the same way I did. Since his inauguration, there has been a bunch…
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The Right Thing
I am infamous in the Commonwealth Foundation office and in my family for being old fashioned. There is a litany of reasons: I wear ties a lot. I even own…
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What the PHEAA is Going On?
The Patriot News reports that former Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) boss Michael Hershock got $200,000 in a settlement over his 2009 firing. To recap, he was fired…
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80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a roadmap for…
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