Education
The kids are not all right
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Our children’s test scores are down. They haven’t even reached pre-Covid levels, which wasn’t anything to brag about then. And the students are…
Read More: The kids are not all rightEducation 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
Talking School Choice with Dick Armey
This week, CF Senior Fellow Jeff Coleman sat down with Dick Armey, former congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader and now Chairman of FreedomWorks, to talk about…
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Crystal Clear Evidence on School Choice
Released this month, a new comprehensive report looking at all the available empirical studies on school voucher programs found vouchers improve outcomes for both students and public schools.
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Students’ Ire Is Misplaced
As I write this, there are Pennsylvania college students walking past our State Capitol holding signs reading, “Save Our System.” It’s understandable: Since Gov. Corbett outlined his budget, these students…
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Does State Aid to Universities Keep Tuition Low?
Cato’s Neal McCluskey has a new podcast discussing state funding for universities, specifically discussing how taxpayer funding has not kept tuition low, but rather that colleges have raised prices…
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Do School Districts have to Raise Property Taxes?
Following Gov. Corbett’s budget, school district officials and the tax-and-spend lobby have cried that cuts to state education spending will force schools to increase property taxes. Yet this ignores several…
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Pennsylvanians Support School Choice
Muhlenberg College polled more than 470 Pennsylvanians for the Morning Call. Several questions focused on expanding school choice in Pennsylvania; here’s what the poll found: Muhlenberg College Poll Question…
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The Bubble Bursts at Penn State
The story is told that when someone asked John D. Rockefeller how much money is enough, he responded, "Just one dollar more." Penn State's President, Graham Spanier, like most college…
Commentary
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Education Spending and Results
As education spending and school choice, via Senate Bill 1, continues to be debated in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers should consider the recent testiomy of Andrew Coulson of the…
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Should Penn State Close Some Branch Campuses?
Among the dire predictions made by Penn State President Graham Spanier in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget cuts is that the university will have to close branch campuses.
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Parents Mustn’t Fall for Penn State Claims
In an op-ed in Sunday’s Harrisburg Patriot-News, Penn State President Graham Spanier repeated his now-familiar claims that his institution must receive more from taxpayers than the $165 million…
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Enacting Effective Merit Pay
Merit pay for teachers, proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett in his budget address, would tie teacher salaries to student progress, instead of increasing salaries annually regardless of performance. Only…
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On Penn State and Lasagna
The news that Penn State’s trustees just froze new building projects brings lasagna to mind. The reason is that right after my wife and I returned from the hospital…
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Hope for University Administrators, or Taxpayers?
Tracie Mauriello of the Post-Gazette has a story today with the headline “Legislators offer hope to university administrators.” There, she quotes several state senators who say they hope to…
Media
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Another Way to Handle Budget Problems
Following up on Charles’s post last week about Penn State’s “political stunt” over Gov. Corbett’s planned cuts to the university, it might help PSU president Graham Spanier to look…
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Top Ten Reasons Pennsylvanians Deserve More from Their Universities
Yesterday in Harrisburg, the talk was all about Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposal to cut the generous subsidies Pennsylvania taxpayers provide to our universities. Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said…
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PSU: Political Stunt University?
University presidents are howling in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget address, in which he proposed giving their institutions less of taxpayers’ hard-earned money. The loudest protests are coming from…
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Chart of the Day: Public School Revenue
The chart below highlights Pennsylvania public school revenue, by source, from 1988-89 to 2008-09 (the latest year with data from the state Department of Education). Over the last 20…
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Progressives Agree: More Dollars Do Not Equal More Scholars
The Center for American Progress conducted a study on school district spending, performance, and efficiency and comes to the unremarkable conclusion that more resources are not directly correlated with higher test scores…
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More Evidence that School Choice Saves Tax Dollars
Reason’s 2010 Annual Privatization Report in Education highlights the savings states have enjoyed thanks to school choice. Since school vouchers and education tax credits are typically much lower than…
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Three Reasons for School Choice
A few recent editorial pieces have highlighted the variety of reasons Pennsylvania needs more school choice for parents and students. A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article by Benjamin F. Chavis,…
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School Choice: Questions & Answers
The Pennsylvania School Board Association is circulating "Questions about vouchers your legislator should be asking." Others have legitimate questions and concerns. This Policy Brief answers them all.
Fact Sheet
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