Education

Myth: PA Spends Less on Education

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 25, 2014

There are many myths circulating about how much Pennsylvania spends on public education. One such myth is that the state government used to provide 50 percent of all revenue for…

Media

Read More: Myth: PA Spends Less on Education

Public Union Democracy

Plagiarism: Union Style

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • February 19, 2014

Several letters to the editor opposing paycheck protection—ostensibly written by different teachers—have appeared in newspapers around the state. Their suspicious similarity provides a valuable lesson in a practice typically frowned…

Media

Read More: Plagiarism: Union Style

Education

Win for Transparency in Public School Spending

  • Priya Brannick
  • January 22, 2014

How would you like to know what’s in a teachers’ contract before your school district passes it—and locks in spending—for four years? And how would you like to track how…

Media

Read More: Win for Transparency in Public School Spending

Education

How is Your Public School Performing?

  • Jessica Barnett
  • October 4, 2013

The Pennsylvania School Performance Profile launched today, but will it deliver the “accountability system” Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq promised in a briefing earlier this month? Created through a…

Media

Read More: How is Your Public School Performing?

Government Accountability

Government Unions’ Unfair Political Privilege

  • September 19, 2013

Taxpayer resources should not be used for any political purposes. Every citizen and every organization—including government unions—should have an equal opportunity to engage in policy debates through a level playing field for…

Fact Sheet

Read More: Government Unions’ Unfair Political Privilege

Education

6 Trends in Public School Spending

  • Nathan Benefield, Priya Brannick
  • June 24, 2013

The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently updated files from public schools’ annual financial reports and enrollment reports. Here are six key trends from those data.

Memo

Read More: 6 Trends in Public School Spending

Education

Cyber Schools: 1% of Education Spending

  • Priya Brannick
  • May 31, 2013

In 2010-11, public cyber schools cost $319 million out of $25 billion on PreK-12 spending—just 1% of Pennsylvania’s total public education spending. Cyber vs. School District Spending, 2010-11 Total Per-Student…

Media

Read More: Cyber Schools: 1% of Education Spending

Education

Cyber School Funding in Pennsylvania

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Priya Brannick
  • May 30, 2013

Cyber schools currently spend significantly less per student than school districts and only represent about 1% of spending on public education. Discrepancies in cyber school funding are the result of…

Memo

Read More: Cyber School Funding in Pennsylvania

Education

How Much Do Philadelphia Schools Spend?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 9, 2012

Following Matt’s appearance on WHYY yesterday morning, we’ve received questions over our calculation on Philadelphia school district spending per student. The error was ours.  Based on the latest spending…

Media

Read More: How Much Do Philadelphia Schools Spend?