rachel langan

Rachel Langan

Senior Education Policy Analyst

Rachel Langan is the Senior Education Policy Analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation. 

Rachel, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, graduated from West Chester University with a degree in Elementary Education and obtained her Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.  

Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Rachel spent a decade working as the school librarian at two of the top-rated school districts in Chester County and has most recently worked on public school policy through grassroots organizations, both at the state and the local level.  

Raised in the Pittsburgh area, she now lives and works outside of Philadelphia. Rachel is mom to five kids plus two dogs and enjoys renovating her 100-year-old home with her husband. When she has free time, you can find her curled up on the couch with a good book. 

Education

A Tale of Two Philadelphia Schools

  • Rachel Langan
  • September 23, 2024

Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal A seven-minute walk separates Kensington High School and Liguori Academy, two high schools serving the East Kensington neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia. Kensington and…

Media Hit

Read More: A Tale of Two Philadelphia Schools

Education

Pennsylvania’s Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families in the Commonwealth

  • Rachel Langan
  • September 17, 2024

Key Findings Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are state tax credit programs that give thousands of low- to middle- income students access to…

Executive Summary

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families in the Commonwealth

Education

Special Needs Students Thrive in Cyber Charters

  • Rachel Langan
  • July 23, 2024

Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Kris Hansen and her son Lucien are square pegs in a world full of round holes. If not for a cyber charter school,…

Media Hit

Read More: Special Needs Students Thrive in Cyber Charters

Education

Democrats Want to Cut Funding for PA Special Needs Students

  • Rachel Langan
  • June 7, 2024

Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Pennsylvania Democrats are trying to cut funding for special needs students in Pennsylvania public schools. Now, brace yourself—the more you learn, the worse…

Media Hit

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Education

Cutting cyber funding hurts Pennsylvania students

  • Rachel Langan
  • April 11, 2024

Originally published in The Mercury Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to cut funding to cyber charter schools. Other lawmakers, such as state Sen. Lindsey Williams, are seeking a moratorium on…

Media Hit

Read More: Cutting cyber funding hurts Pennsylvania students

Education

How I became an advocate for school choice

  • Rachel Langan
  • March 14, 2024

Originally published at Broad + Liberty School choice opponents typically have never needed or wanted an alternative to public schools. I should know: I was one of them. As…

Media Hit

Read More: How I became an advocate for school choice

Education

School Choice Spotlight on Private Education – Syreeta Campbell

  • Rachel Langan
  • December 18, 2023

Syreeta lives in North Philadelphia and has chosen to send her son to private school because of the opportunities available to him there that are non-existent at his local…

School Choice Spotlight

Read More: School Choice Spotlight on Private Education – Syreeta Campbell

Education

Empower students to vote with their feet

  • Rachel Langan
  • October 6, 2023

Originally published at Broad + Liberty Increasingly over the past three years, public schools and the students who attend them have become collateral damage to a culture war that…

Media Hit

Read More: Empower students to vote with their feet

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

Read More: School Choice Spotlight on Private Education