Education
Charter School Reform
Good morning, my name is Nathan Benefield; I am the vice president of policy analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation. I wish to thank Auditor General DePasquale for the opportunity to…
Testimony
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The Berlin Wall of Philadelphia’s Public Schools
Students in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had their hopes dashed last week when they lost out on the chance to land one of the few vacant openings in charter schools. In…
Media
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Philly Schools Spending Crisis Set to Grow
$3.1 billion is a lot to spend for violent and failing schools. A Pennsylvania Independent report by Maura Pennington examines the School District of Philadelphia’s new budget and highlights…
Media
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VIDEO: Charter Schools Threatened by Punitive Rules
With a waiting list 30,000 students long, you’d think Philadelphia would be working to expand the reach of charter schools. Sadly, Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission is seeking just the opposite, …
Media
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Philadelphia’s Education Crisis Worsens
More than 80 percent of 4th and 8th grade students in the School District of Philadelphia didn’t reach proficiency in math and reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card. When…
Media
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Unions First, Teachers & Students Last
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) might take legal action against the School District of Philadelphia for … wait for it … hiring back teachers. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission…
Media
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How Much Do Philadelphia Schools Spend?
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
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Opportunity Scholarships for Pennsylvania
A new proposal (HB 2468) would expand the existing EITC program while adding an additional category of scholarship organizations. Under HB 2468, the EITC limit would increase from $75 million…
Fact Sheet
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Who is to Blame for Schools’ Fiscal Woes?
Many advocates of more tax dollars for education blame Gov. Corbett and “cuts” for budgetary woes in Philadelphia and Reading school districts. But these complaints belie the facts. Over last…
Media
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