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.
Related Issues
Education
Local Proficiency Measures are Lacking in PA
A new study from Penn State reveals that local school districts’ assessments, allowed as an alternative to the 11th-grade PSSA exam to demonstrate proficiency for Pennsylvania students before graduating,…
Media
Read More: Local Proficiency Measures are Lacking in PAEducation
Fact Check: PA Education Spending
A myth floating around Harrisburg is that the state government used to fund 50% of K-12 education, and has reduced support since then. This was most recently stated by…
Media
Read More: Fact Check: PA Education SpendingEducation
Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis
The American Legislative Exchange Council has released their annual Report Card on American Education. The report is filled with education data – spending, inputs, academic performance – with a…
Media
Read More: Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State AnalysisEducation
Piccola Offers Alternative Plan for PA Higher Ed
State Sen. Jeff Piccola has a new proposal to offer additional grants directly to Pennsylvania students for higher education, and tie this funding to both schools’ holding tuition costs down…
Media
Read More: Piccola Offers Alternative Plan for PA Higher EdEducation
High Marks for Higher Ed Reforms
Sen. Piccola’s proposal would increase college affordability, accountability HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today praised the proposal to reform higher education funding introduced by Senate Education Committee…
Press Release
Read More: High Marks for Higher Ed ReformsEducation
School Choice Yearbook
The Alliance for School Choice has released their 2008-09 School Choice Yearbook (click here for the news release). The yearbook profiles school choice programs in every state, the…
Media
Read More: School Choice YearbookEducation
School District Consolidation is a Red Herring
In the movie Men in Black, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) carries a small device that flashes, allowing him to make people forget meeting him (or seeing aliens). Gov. Rendell…
Commentary
Read More: School District Consolidation is a Red HerringEducation
For-Profit Philadelphia Schools Show Gains
A new study by Paul Peterson and Matthew Chingos finds that the Philadelphia public schools contracted out to for-profit operators showed significant gains in student achievement. Specifically, the…
Media
Read More: For-Profit Philadelphia Schools Show GainsEducation
The Great College Hoax
Forbes has an excellent article on the merits of college – and taxpayer subsidies of higher ed – even as Governor Rendell proposes legalized video poker to put…
Media
Read More: The Great College HoaxEducation
Special Needs Scholarship Could Replace School for the Deaf
There has been a lot of public outcry against Governor Rendell’s proposal to close the Scranton School for the Deaf, as well as the Scotland School…
Media
Read More: Special Needs Scholarship Could Replace School for the DeafEducation
The School District Consolidation Myth
As part of his budget, Governor Rendell proposed creating a commission on consolidating PA school districts (and it turns out, he may intend to do so even if the legislature…
Media
Read More: The School District Consolidation MythEducation
Economists Against Governor Rendell
In his budget address, Governor Rendell cited “conservative” economists who support the stimulus package and his spending proposals, even though they don’t. Here is Rendell: Economists from…
Media
Read More: Economists Against Governor RendellEducation
Obama Transparency Standard Challenges School Boards
Pennsylvania school boards have been presented an opportunity to measure up to the standard set by our new President. In his inaugural address, Barack Obama promised that public business would…
Commentary
Read More: Obama Transparency Standard Challenges School BoardsEducation
PA Budget Proposals: Cut the Fat, Play Poker
Sen. John Eichelberger unveiled a proposal today to issue a moratorium on “earmarks”, the legislative-controlled WAMs and other items. The proposal also calls for a review of all…
Media
Read More: PA Budget Proposals: Cut the Fat, Play PokerEducation
Overspending Schools Don’t Need More Taxpayer Funding
NYTimes article (registration required) looks at how much of the federal “stimulus” money would go to school spending, particularly for school construction. Critics and supporters alike…
Media
Read More: Overspending Schools Don’t Need More Taxpayer FundingEducation
More Subsidies for Higher Education
Governor Rendell is proposing an increase of $128 million in tuition aide for students at PASSHE schools. There’s no question that skyrocketing tuition is hitting families hard, but throwing…
Media
Read More: More Subsidies for Higher EducationEducation
Adam Smith Courses
Our friends at the Wynnewood Institute are hosting a seminar series on the writings of Adam Smith, who is sometimes referred to as the “father of economics.” The series…
Media
Read More: Adam Smith CoursesEducation
Some More “half” Truths on the PSEA
The Tribune-Democrat features an editorial by a PSEA member in which he calls Matt Brouillette’s commentary “a hodgepodge of distortions, half-truths and unadulterated flapdoodle”. I have no idea…
Media
Read More: Some More “half” Truths on the PSEAEducation
Remembering Paul Henkels
Paul Henckels, chaiman of the REACH Foundation and a leader in the school choice movement in Pennsylvania, passed away late last week. Please find the news release from…
Media
Read More: Remembering Paul HenkelsEducation
Plan to Reform Public Education
The Washington Policy Center recently released its Education Reform Plan for the Washington school system. It highlights the failure of the current program: Nearly one-third of Washington public…
Media
Read More: Plan to Reform Public EducationEducation
School district consolidation unlikely to cut cost
Over at School Board Transparency blog, Fred Baldwin writes that consolidating school districts (to county wide districts) is unlikely to result in substantial cost savings – that is…
Media
Read More: School district consolidation unlikely to cut cost