Erik Telford
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.” Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.”
Education
Gov. Shapiro and Pa. lawmakers can address absenteeism, violence by giving kids a lifeline
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. is right: For students within the Philadelphia School District, attendance is a life-and-death issue,…
Media Hit
Read More: Gov. Shapiro and Pa. lawmakers can address absenteeism, violence by giving kids a lifelineTaxes & Economy
Tax reform, not tax credits, will grow Pennsylvania’s economy
Originally published in The Mercury Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis made headlines with this key finding: 7.7 percent of all Pennsylvania teachers, the “largest” number on…
Media Hit
Read More: Tax reform, not tax credits, will grow Pennsylvania’s economyEducation
This Democrat Governor Could Defy The Teachers Unions And Pass School Choice
Originally published at Daily Caller By following through on his campaign commitments to expand school choice, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro can distinguish himself from other elected officials cowed by…
Media Hit
Read More: This Democrat Governor Could Defy The Teachers Unions And Pass School ChoiceEducation
Battling for an Educational Lifeline
Originally published in the Reading Eagle Shyanne, a happy seventh-grader at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, lives in Schuylkill County and loves to learn. But her educational journey was…
Media Hit
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Moms know best — cyber schools offer safety and restore self-esteem
Originally published at Broad+Liberty Christopher is a seventh grader doing well in school and has self-confidence that his mom, Kristen, was afraid she’d never see in her son again.
Media Hit
Read More: Moms know best — cyber schools offer safety and restore self-esteemEducation
Students in Philadelphia Need a Lifeline
Background The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that chronic absenteeism rose by 93 percent in the Philadelphia School District during the 2021–22 school year. Research links chronic absenteeism to…
Commentary
Read More: Students in Philadelphia Need a LifelineEducation
School Choice Report, Episode 6
In our latest episode of School Choice Podcast, guest host Guy Ciarrocchi interviews former United States Senator and Democratic nominee for Vice President Joe Lieberman. The Honorable Sen. Lieberman is…
Podcast
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 6Education
Former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman Calls on Gov. Shapiro to Defend ‘Gutsy’ School Reforms
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 13, 2023 — Former Democratic vice-presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman called on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to support Lifeline Scholarships and school choice as he…
Press Release
Read More: Former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman Calls on Gov. Shapiro to Defend ‘Gutsy’ School ReformsHealth Care
Cutting red tape on Pa.’s nurse practitioners
Originally published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Expanding health care access has been a major political issue in recent decades — first, during the Clinton health care plan of the…
Media Hit
Read More: Cutting red tape on Pa.’s nurse practitionersRegulation
How Pa. Can Show it is Open for Business
Summary Pennsylvania’s economy is performing poorly with high unemployment, low labor force participation, and lackluster job growth. Roughly 40,000 residents left the state last year because of poor economic conditions…
Fact Sheet
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Assisting Students in Economically Disadvantaged Schools
Overview The Economically Disadvantaged School component of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) provides supplementary scholarships for Pennsylvania students receiving scholarships and attending private schools with the greatest financial need.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Assisting Students in Economically Disadvantaged SchoolsEducation
Education Choice Myths and Facts
School Choice Saves Money While Saving Kids School choice reforms are significantly less costly than average per-pupil spending at public schools, which is over $21,200.[1] In contrast, the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Education Choice Myths and FactsPublic Union Democracy
PA Needs to Empower Workers—Not Union Executives
Originally published in the Delaware Valley Journal The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 950, which proposes a state constitutional amendment empowering public sector union executives. Unfortunately,…
Media Hit
Read More: PA Needs to Empower Workers—Not Union ExecutivesEducation
Analysis: Pa. Public Education Gets “Dramatic” Funding Increases
Harrisburg, Pa., June 1, 2023 – Pennsylvania school district per-student spending increased to $21,263 in 2021–22, according to newly released data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The added funding represents a…
Press Release
Read More: Analysis: Pa. Public Education Gets “Dramatic” Funding IncreasesEducation
Pennsylvania’s education system is broken: here’s how to fix it
Originally published in The Patriot-News Are Pennsylvania schools underfunded? Before COVID-19, 52 percent of Pennsylvania voters thought so. Then, after voters learned the actual price tag, this number dropped…
Media Hit
Read More: Pennsylvania’s education system is broken: here’s how to fix itEducation
Pa. Education Funding Spikes Again
Key Points Pennsylvania school district spending per student increased to $21,263 in 2021–22. State support of public education is up 55.7 percent over the last decade, reaching an all-time high…
Backgrounder
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School Choice Report, Episode 5
In this week’s episode of School Choice Report, host David Hardy welcomes Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano. They discuss the recent mayoral primary in Philadelphia and what it…
Media
Read More: School Choice Report, Episode 5Welfare
Medicaid Eligibility Matters
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Should a health-care program for low-income seniors, the disabled, kids, and pregnant mothers be co-opted by hundreds of thousands of healthy adults? Adults not even…
Media Hit
Read More: Medicaid Eligibility MattersCriminal Justice Reform
The key to Cherelle Parker’s success? Rejecting the Democrats’ progressive wing.
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer Black voters, especially those living in low-income neighborhoods, propelled Cherelle Parker to victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of…
Media Hit
Read More: The key to Cherelle Parker’s success? Rejecting the Democrats’ progressive wing.Education
Education Opportunity Accounts in Practice
Key Points Education Opportunity Accounts (EOAs) are transformative, flexible-use accounts funded by state tax dollars.Program Administration: The Pennsylvania Treasury is the ideal administrator at the state level and may contract…
Backgrounder
Read More: Education Opportunity Accounts in PracticePublic Union Democracy
Uprooting the Teachers Unions
Originally published at The American Mind Across the country, teacher union leaders and leftist pundits frequently malign educational choice expansion as an insidious plot to “dismantle public education”…
Commentary
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