Staff

Don Kirkland, Sr.

• July 6, 2021

What actions can you take now to ensure the values you cherish endure for generations? Leaving a legacy is something deeply rooted in the Kirkland family. Their business, Marine Equipment…

Commentary

Don Kirkland, Sr.

• July 6, 2021

What actions can you take now to ensure the values you cherish endure for generations? Leaving a legacy is something deeply rooted in the Kirkland family. Their business, Marine Equipment…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Will Lawmakers Finally Stop Groveling For Teachers Unions? Pennsylvania Is About To Find Out

• Kevin Mooney
• June 29, 2021

Officials will have to show which they value: the growing demand by families for education choice, or teachers' unions' persistent political clout.

Commentary

State Budget

2021 Budget Takeaways

• Nathan Benefield
• June 29, 2021

Last week, the Pa. General Assembly passed a state budget deal that includes $40 billion in the General Fund budget, increases in tax credit scholarships, and a number of policy…

Fact Sheet

Op-Ed: The CHOICE Act: Because Low-Income Children Deserve Options, Too

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 29, 2021

The CHOICE Act won’t solve every problem we see in education today. But it will open new opportunities for thousands of low-income students.

Commentary

Faces of Education Reform

• June 28, 2021

Tax credit scholarships change lives. Read the stories.

Commentary

Ensuring a Legacy of Freedom: Andrew Terhune

• June 28, 2021

Did you know that there is a quick and easy way to increase your support of Commonwealth Foundation and help ensure a legacy of freedom for Pennsylvania? Your fellow supporter,…

Media

School Choice Expands in Pennsylvania Budget

• Michael Torres
• June 25, 2021

June 25, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Lawmakers today unveiled a deal on the next fiscal year’s state budget, which the governor is expected to sign. The budget includes an increase in the cap…

Press Release

Op-Ed: PA Gov. Attacks Lawmakers’ Sensible Election Reforms

• Nathan Benefield
• June 25, 2021

Wolf is also ignoring new polling from Franklin & Marshall College, which shows that Pennsylvania voters believe election reform is necessary. Among voters polled, 81% favor signature matching for mail-in ballots…

Commentary

Education

School Funding Myth Busters

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 23, 2021

In the face of uncertainly due to COVID in 2020, state lawmakers flat-funded education for the 2020–21 school year. Districts also received about $6 billion in additional funding via three…

Fact Sheet

Op-Ed: Banning ideas in schools isn’t the answer — parents must be active citizens

• Jennifer Stefano
• June 22, 2021

For America to remain a free country, the power to defend our society and improve education for our children must be in our hands, not those of politicians. By making…

Commentary

Op-Ed: With $7 billion windfall, Pa. should focus on jobs, students

• Nathan Benefield
• June 21, 2021

With this budget, lawmakers should enact policies that help our citizens find work and ensure that every kid has access to a high-quality education.

Commentary

Education

Pennsylvania Public Schools? Pandemic Profits

• Stefanie Mason
• June 18, 2021

Since the early months of the pandemic, Pennsylvania school district bureaucrats and lobbyists have demanded additional funding, ostensibly to cover increased costs. A February Commonwealth Foundation report tracked the…

Media

Op-Ed: Gov. Wolf’s education funding claims are false. Here’s the truth

• Marc LeBlond
• June 17, 2021

Originally published in The Center Square. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf held a press conference on the Capitol steps capping off a more than four-month campaign…

Commentary

Education

Excellence in Education for All Act Summary

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 17, 2021

What is the Excellence in Education for All Act? The Excellence in Education for All Act (Senate Bill 1) is an exciting bill that seeks to ensure more Pennsylvania…

Fact Sheet

Op-Ed: With $7 Billion to Spend, Lawmakers Must Avoid Past Mistakes

• June 16, 2021

The lesson is clear. If politicians use federal stimulus money to expand existing programs, their successors will face intense political pressure to make those spending increases permanent, compounding our structural…

Commentary

Op-Ed: More school choice means fewer lotteries

• Stephen Bloom
• June 16, 2021

SB 1 also includes an important provision to increase the availability of charter schools. Pennsylvania law currently places school districts in charge of charter school authorization. Unsurprisingly, districts often reject…

Commentary

Acton University

• June 15, 2021

Acton U. Topics on this page Free Market Economics…

Media

New Study: Pa. K-12 Scholarship Bill Would Create Billions in Economic Benefits

• Michael Torres
• June 15, 2021

June 15, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new study from the Commonwealth Foundation and the American Federation for Children shows that Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarships are a powerful tool for…

Press Release

The Untapped Potential of Expanded Tax Credit Scholarships

• Marc LeBlond
• June 14, 2021

This study reviews the most rigorous evidence on school choice and student outcomes in the United States and estimates the economic impacts of expanding access to Pennsylvania’s K-12 tax credit…

Report

Op-Ed: Students will suffer under Wolf’s latest charter attack

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 9, 2021

Targeting charter schools under the guise of fiscal responsibility is the latest attempt by the Wolf Administration to limit school choice for families. After the struggles of the past year,…

Commentary