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
School Choice Spotlight on Private Education
Ana, a mom to two sons, lives in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. Her youngest—awarded a four-year scholarship to a private academy in the Kensington/Port Richmond section of Philadelphia—is…
School Choice Spotlight
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Parental activism and public support level the playing field as government unions block Lifelines to students in failing schools.
Originally published at Broad + Liberty When government union leaders sent a letter to elected officials urging them to oppose scholarships for low-income students, they left out that part…
Media Hit
Read More: Parental activism and public support level the playing field as government unions block Lifelines to students in failing schools.Education
Americans Want Education Reform. Why Don’t Democrats?
Originally published at Newsweek Millions of American children return to school every August with new pencils and notebooks. Unfortunately, for more than a million kids, supplies are the only…
Media Hit
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Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate, Urges House to Act on Educational Choice
Harrisburg, Pa., August 30, 2023 — The Pennsylvania Senate reconvened today and passed legislation necessary to complete parts of the long-overdue state budget. Returning to session three weeks earlier than…
Press Release
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School Choice Report, Episode 15
Georgia State Representative and school choice champion Mesa Mainor made headlines across the nation when she left the Democratic Party after her party attacked her when she decided to stand…
Podcast
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Legislature should fund college students, not administrators
Originally published at Centre Daily Times As Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate persists, so does the limbo on funding for four state-related universities. Under debate is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed collective…
Media Hit
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Back-to-school Report Showcases Latest Pa. Education Trends
Harrisburg, Pa., August 22, 2023 — Pennsylvania public school spending soars as enrollment drops and school hiring increases, according to a new Commonwealth Foundation back-to-school policy backgrounder that highlights…
Press Release
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Pa. Public Schools Spend More Per Child Than the National Average
Harrisburg, Pa., August 22, 2023 — Pennsylvania per-student education spending is the seventh highest in the nation, according to a new report that analyzes education trends. According to the…
Press Release
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Every kid deserves to be as lucky as me
Originally published at Broad + Liberty I graduated from Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls with a 5.3 grade point average. At Little Flower, I was an active student,…
Media Hit
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Pa. Back to School Public Education Trends
Overview As students head back to school, there are many claims of teacher shortages and funding shortfalls. In reality, public school spending is at a record high, and Pennsylvania ranks…
Backgrounder
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School Choice Report, Episode 14
We are excited to have CEO & founder of Q&A, co-founder of Venice Music, and school choice advocate Troy Carter join the show! Mr. Carter’s connections to Philadelphia strong,…
Podcast
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House Democrats Need to Get Back to Work
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Pennsylvania House Democrats have been acting busy during the state budget impasse—an impasse their own majority leader, Rep. Matt Bradford, inexplicably denied existed…
Media Hit
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School Choice Report, Episode 13
In this episode, host David Hardy sits down with CEO and Executive Director at Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools Janel “Jay” Artis-Wright. Ms. Artis-Wright has spent two decades lobbying, training,…
Podcast
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Josh Shapiro: Bridge Builder or Bridge Burner?
Originally published in townhall.com. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro may have fixed one bridge, but he’s burning others. While the governor brags about …
Media Hit
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Shapiro Could Be the First Prominent Democrat to Deliver School Choice
Originally published in Real Clear Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could still be the first in his party to provide genuine school choice for his…
Media Hit
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School Choice Report, Episode 12
From discussing the “why” behind the push for school choice to what hope families could and should have on the education horizon, host David Hardy leads intriguing discussions with Senior…
Podcast
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If Ohio Can Fix Education, So Can Pennsylvania
Originally published at RealClearEducation There is a big lie recited as gospel: Giving parents educational choice drains money from public schools and ultimately destroys them. Teachers union lobbyists recently…
Media Hit
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Underserved students face uncertain future following Gov. Shapiro’s budget decision
Harrisburg, Pa., August 3, 2023 – Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield issued the following statement following Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to line-item veto the Pennsylvania Award for Student…
Press Release
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School Choice Report, Episode 11
In this episode, President and CEO of the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia Keisha Jordan joins host David Hardy. Ms. Jordan is a dedicated nonprofit leader with 20 years of experience…
Podcast
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Jennifer Stefano: Forget I-95, Gov. Shapiro should slash the bureaucracy for everybody
Gov. Josh Shapiro should expand the use of bureaucracy-slashing tactics like those that helped expedite I-95 repairs, columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano wrote Monday in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Press Release
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Lifeline (PASS) Scholarship Program
Overview Lifeline Scholarships, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program, would offer an Education Opportunity Account (EOA) to any student residing in a school ranked in…
Fact Sheet
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