Education 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.

Education

State House Democrats need to do their jobs

  • Stephen Bloom
  • September 22, 2023

Originally published at LNP Lawmakers have one job: Work for the people they represent. This job requirement is as old as Pennsylvania when William Penn founded the Provincial Assembly…

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Education

Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided Government

  • September 21, 2023

Harrisburg, Pa., September 21, 2023 — Pennsylvania state lawmakers have enacted only 15 bills during the first six months of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, despite having a full-time legislature, according to…

Press Release

Read More: Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided Government

Education

School Choice Report, Episode 17

  • David P. Hardy
  • September 18, 2023

Margaret “Macke” Raymond is the Director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) based at Stanford University. She has steered the group to national prominence as a rigorous…

Podcast

Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 17

Education

Pennsylvanians Deserve the Truth on Education Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 18, 2023

Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission has begun holding hearings on how to remake the state’s public schools funding formula after a state court determined that the existing…

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Education

Pa. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford’s failed leadership

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 15, 2023

Originally published in The Mercury The Pennsylvania budget remains unfinished, while Pennsylvania House lawmakers remain on vacation (in recess) until the end of September. While it’s up to Speaker…

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Education

Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline Scholarships

  • September 14, 2023

Harrisburg, Pa., September 14, 2023 — Philadelphia education pioneer and Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Senior Fellow David Hardy delivered powerful testimony to the state Senate Education Committee on Monday, reminding lawmakers that the…

Press Release

Read More: Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline Scholarships

Education

School Choice Report, Episode 16

  • David P. Hardy
  • September 12, 2023

Ryan Boyer is the business manager of Laborers’ District Council and head of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council. It’s been written that he’s a no-nonsense operator in the…

Podcast

Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 16

Opportunity

Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t work

  • September 11, 2023

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano, in her recent column, laments the decline of teenage employment and the life lessons that teenagers miss when they don’t…

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Opportunity

All that’s lost when teens don’t work

  • Jennifer Stefano
  • September 11, 2023

Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer At a back-to-school night this year, I chatted with a group of moms who had kids in high school. Their teens’ summers were…

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Education

School Choice Spotlight on Private Education

  • Rachel Langan
  • September 6, 2023

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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Education

Parental activism and public support level the playing field as government unions block Lifelines to students in failing schools.

  • Kevin Mooney
  • August 31, 2023

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…

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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?

  • Jennifer Stefano
  • August 30, 2023

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…

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Read More: Americans Want Education Reform. Why Don’t Democrats?

Education

School Choice Report, Episode 15

  • David P. Hardy
  • August 28, 2023

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

Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 15

Education

Legislature should fund college students, not administrators

  • Jonathan McGee
  • August 24, 2023

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…

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Read More: Legislature should fund college students, not administrators

Education

Back-to-school Report Showcases Latest Pa. Education Trends

  • August 22, 2023

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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Education

Pa. Public Schools Spend More Per Child Than the National Average

  • August 22, 2023

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

Read More: Pa. Public Schools Spend More Per Child Than the National Average