Media

Education

Opportunity, Prosperity, and National School Choice Week

• Marc LeBlond
• January 18, 2019

Speaking at his inaugural address on Tuesday, Gov. Wolf emphasized the importance of making sure “our children's opportunities are not restricted by his or her ZIP code.” We couldn’t…

Media

Raise the Limits!

• January 18, 2019

Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs are so popular that they could double in size and still not meet demand. Pennsylvania has a program that provides tax credits to businesses that donate…

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Health Care

Arkansas Latest to Demonstrate Power of Work Over Poverty

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 17, 2019

Once again, incomes are rising, tax revenue is up, and welfare enrollment is shrinking thanks to work requirements. A recent analysis from the Foundation for Government Accountability finds Arkansas’s…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Punitive Occupational Licensing Laws Bar Pennsylvanians from Work

• Jessica Barnett
• January 11, 2019

Pennsylvania’s occupational licensing laws are keeping two Philadelphia women out of work. Courtney Haveman and Amanda Spillane have sued the commonwealth after the Pennsylvania Cosmetology Board denied their cosmetology licenses…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in History

• January 10, 2019

Pennsylvania’s prison population dropped by 1,068 individuals in 2018, according to new Department of Corrections numbers—the sharpest decline ever recorded. The number of incarcerated Pennsylvanians declined in six of…

Press Release

Criminal Justice Reform

Tough on Crime, Smart on Justice

• Charles Mitchell
• January 9, 2019

Commentators called it a “Christmas miracle.” In late December, Congressional Republicans and Democrats cooperated to pass the FIRST STEP Act, America’s most significant federal sentencing and prison reform…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Worker Sues for Right to Resign from SEIU

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 8, 2019

Francisco Molina has a simple expectation of public sector unions: “They are supposed to help us, represent us, not hurt us.” After he got his dream job helping children at…

Media

Education

High Parental Satisfaction With Florida Scholarship Program

• January 7, 2019

Maloni Lewis lives with two disabled parents and three older brothers, who are in and out of jail. Her mom, Renee, wanted a better life for her daughter, so…

Media

Health Care

Federal Food Stamp Fix Good Fit for Pa.

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 3, 2019

Jobs and money form the foundation of many a New Year’s resolution. Now, due to proposed federal SNAP (food stamp) changes, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could experience a brighter…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

The Next Step for Criminal Justice Reform

• Nathan Benefield
• January 1, 2019

In an op-ed last week, CF’s president Charles Mitchell and former CF board chair Jane Janeczek offered an appraisal of the First Step Act signed by President Trump on…

Media

Education

Finding a Seat: Philly Kids Need More School Choice

• Colleen Hroncich
• December 28, 2018

Starting with magnet schools in the 1970s, the Philadelphia School District has had some form of public school choice for decades. The opening of the first charter schools in 1997…

Media

Education

School Choice Increases School Safety

• December 27, 2018

As children enjoy their holiday break, a safe second semester is at the top of many parents’ wish list. Parents want their kids to get the most out of their…

Media

Education

Gesu School: Education Choice in Action – Part III

• Marc LeBlond
• December 25, 2018

Christmas is a time of giving. For many businesses and individuals across the state, Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship opportunities allow them to give so students like Alphonso and Makayla can have…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Residents are Still Leaving the Keystone State

• Nathan Benefield
• December 21, 2018

Residents are fleeing Pennsylvania for other states, continuing a long and harmful trend. Pennsylvania’s population grew by a scant 0.13 percent last year, according to new Census Bureau estimates—but…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Santa and the Grinch visit Pennsylvania?s Energy Sector

• Gordon Tomb
• December 21, 2018

The last two years brought renewed investment in Pennsylvania’s energy industry, but these shiny gifts remain threatened by grinchy taxes, fees, and regulations. Among the gifts are the…

Media

Education

Guest Post: A rural charter school embraces its “rural-ness” and finds happiness, too

• December 21, 2018

Note: This commentary was originally published by National School Choice Week. When people think of charter schools, they often think of schools that serve students in densely-populated cities or…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Trump Administration’s Food Stamp Changes Could Affect 59 Pa. Counties

• December 20, 2018

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to strengthen existing work requirements for work-capable adults in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps). The rule change…

Press Release

Criminal Justice Reform

Smart on Crime Reforms in 2017-18

• Elizabeth Stelle, Marc LeBlond
• December 20, 2018

“If it's failed policy, we should have the courage to leave it and let it go.” This poignant quote from former Senator Stewart Greenleaf encapsulates the essence of recent…

Media

Health Care

Affordable Care Act Struggles Continue: Sarah’s Health Care Story

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 19, 2018

Sarah is a social service worker from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband also homeschool their four young children. For four years her family received insurance through Medicaid.

Media

Regulation

Taking the First Step Toward Pension Reform in 2017-18

• Colleen Hroncich
• December 19, 2018

In the Christmas classic Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, the Winter Warlock despairs, “It is so difficult to make a change.” Kris Kringle disagrees, “It’s as easy as taking…

Media

Education

Gesu School: Education Choice in Action – Part II

• Marc LeBlond
• December 18, 2018

He's a former pharmaceutical executive and she's concluding Ph.D. studies in reading literacy and assessment. Bryan Carter and Annette Pickett could choose more lucrative careers. Yet they've devoted their lives…

Media