Education

Gov. Rendell Learned His Lesson

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 6, 2010

Last year, Gov. Rendell went on a bus tour across Pennsylvania, at taxpayer expense, to lobby for more education spending. Rendell was…

Media

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Education

Costing-Out the Price of Education

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2009

Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield, Director of Policy Research, Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives to the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee December 8, 2009 Thank you, Sen. Piccola and…

Testimony

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Education

Won’t Somebody Think of the Children!?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 18, 2009

Jim Roxbury brought to my attention a quote by Governor Rendell that “the one group that has no lobbyist here in Pennsylvania is our children” as well as too…

Media

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Education

Who’s For the Children?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 27, 2009

In the television comedy The Office, dim-witted boss Michael Scott remarks that he likes giving presents because they are “like this tangible thing that you can point to and say…

Commentary

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Education

Education Spending Goes Awry

  • July 20, 2009

The Easton Area School Board approved a reimbursement plan on Thursday that will be sent to the state Department of Education detailing more than $93 million spent to build…

Media

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Education

The Faulty Premise of the Budget Impasse

  • Matthew Brouillette, Nathan Benefield
  • July 20, 2009

Governor Rendell wants the taxpayers to spend more on public schools.  So do Republicans in the General Assembly—nearly 12 percent more.  Yet education funding remains a major obstacle in the…

Commentary

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Education

More Dollars is Not Producing More Scholars

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 30, 2009

A new report from the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia on Pennsylvania school performance (specifically the 11th grade PSSAs) across school districts finds that: Demographic factors (residents with…

Media

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Education

Public Schools’ Edifice Complex

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 11, 2009

John Micek and I (@NathanBenefield) had a little discussion via Twitter over the cost of public school buildings. John wonders what is wrong with having nice school…

Media

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Education

Overspending Schools Don’t Need More Taxpayer Funding

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 2, 2009

NYTimes article (registration required) looks at how much of the federal “stimulus” money would go to school spending, particularly for school construction.  Critics and supporters alike…

Media

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