Research

Education

Josh Shapiro: Least Productive Pennsylvania Governor in at Least 50 Years 

• November 10, 2025

Summary Nearly three years in office, a Commonwealth Foundation analysis finds Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first term is the least productive of any Pennsylvania gubernatorial term in at least 50 years.

Fact Sheet

Education

Low-Achieving and Violent Public Schools in Pennsylvania

• October 30, 2025

Overview Students attending low-achieving public schools experience violence at nearly twice the rate of students attending higher-achieving schools and are more likely to experience violence involving a weapon.

Fact Sheet

Myths and Facts: Public Cyber Charter Schools

• September 19, 2025

Summary Myths and misinformation obscure the facts about Pennsylvania’s public cyber charter school students. Proposed cuts to cyber students will force the closure of up to nine of Pennsylvania’s 14…

Fact Sheet

State Budget

Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s Fiscal Year 2025–26 Budget Proposal

• September 8, 2025

Summary Pennsylvania’s economy lags behind other states, hindered by high taxes and burdensome regulations. As a result, the state suffers from continued outmigration, with residents leaving for better opportunities in…

Fact Sheet

Education

Rethinking School District Reserve Funds as Students Return to Class

• Rachel Langan
• August 25, 2025

Pennsylvania must focus on funding students. Overview After years of property tax hikes and significant increases in state funding, Pennsylvania school districts ended the 2023–24 school year with more than…

Backgrounder

Taxes & Economy

Minimum Wage 

• August 5, 2025

Summary Findings by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) show that less than one percent of Pennsylvania workers (47,200) earn the minimum wage or…

Fact Sheet

Education

Persistently Dangerous Pennsylvania Public Schools

• Rachel Langan
• August 4, 2025

Calculating danger based only on arrests ignores student safety. Overview New analysis by the Commonwealth Foundation shows that Pennsylvania violates state and federal law by failing to identify persistently dangerous…

Backgrounder

Education

One Big, Beautiful Bill Benefits for Pennsylvanians 

• July 15, 2025

Summary  On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed House Resolution 1, better known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB), into law. Within the…

Fact Sheet

Education

Educational Choice for Children Act

• July 4, 2025

U.S. Congress expands educational opportunity for K–12 students nationwide, funding millions in tax credit scholarships for Pennsylvania kids. First-Ever Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program The U.S. Congress passed the Educational…

Fact Sheet

Energy

Shapiro’s Lights Out Agenda

• June 27, 2025

Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s Lightning Plan Summary In January, Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled his Lightning Plan, which he calls a “bold, all-of-the-above energy plan” to shift…

Fact Sheet

Education

Learning Investment Tax Credit

• June 25, 2025

Summary The proposed Learning Investment Tax Credit (LITC), House Bill (HB) 1662, creates a $8,000 per child refundable tax credit to offset education expenses if parents choose a non-public…

Fact Sheet

Health Care

How Welfare Reforms in the OBBB Protect Pennsylvanians

• June 24, 2025

Summary Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as Food Stamps, were intended to help provide health insurance and food for low-income seniors,…

Fact Sheet

State Budget

Deficit Watch: June 2025

• June 3, 2025

Lawmakers must protect the Rainy Day Fund. Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025–26…

Deficit Watch

Education

HB 1500 Harms Cyber School Students

• June 2, 2025

Summary Pennsylvania public school revenue has risen by almost 5 percent in the last year to more than $23,000 per student. The commonwealth ranks seventh in the nation in spending…

Fact Sheet

Energy

Preventing Pennsylvania from Powering Down: Analysis of Governor Shapiro’s PACER and PRESS Proposals

• Isaac Orr, Mitch Rolling
• May 27, 2025

Key Findings The Price Tag: Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER) and Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) proposals would impose $157.2 billion in new electricity costs on…

Report

Education

Educational Choice Myth and Facts 2025

• May 21, 2025

Summary Unfortunately, conversations about education choice are fraught with myths about accountability, funding, and who qualifies for choice programs. This fact sheet addresses the most common myths. Academic Accountability MYTH:School…

Fact Sheet

Education

Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024

• May 15, 2025

Pennsylvania Public School Spending is Growing Public school spending reaches historic levels year after year. Pennsylvania public school revenue per student increased to $23,061 in the 2023-24 school year, up…

Fact Sheet

Education

PASS/Lifeline Scholarship Program

• May 5, 2025

Overview Two proposals—Senate Bill 10, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship Program (PASS), and forthcoming Lifeline Scholarship legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives—are separate but similar…

Fact Sheet

Find Your School District’s Reserves

• May 5, 2025

Local Districts: Charter Schools:…

Research

State Budget

Deficit Watch: May 2025

• May 2, 2025

Pennsylvania cannot afford more mass transit bailouts. Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit. Gov.

Deficit Watch

State Budget

EITC and Economically Disadvantaged Schools

• Rachel Langan
• April 30, 2025

Summary The Economically Disadvantaged School (EDS) component of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) scholarship program provides supplementary scholarships for Pennsylvania students, who are economically disadvantaged and attend private schools…

Fact Sheet