Topics

NOVEMBER 10, 2011 | Commentary by REP. RYAN AUMENT

A New Teacher Evaluation System for Pennsylvania

After numerous meetings and conversations with constituents, teachers, school administrators and education policy experts, I have come to the conclusion that we must have a comprehensive way to identify quality teachers, so that we can retain them, encourage them and ensure students have access to them. We must also be able to assist those teachers who are struggling. The students facing the greatest hurdles to their education must have access to the highest performing teachers. Today,

NOVEMBER 7, 2011 | Commentary by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

WIFM: What's In It for Me?

"What's in it for me?" Legislators will ask that question from time to time when they don't see the direct political benefit in voting for something controversial. Recently, as Gov. Corbett and the General Assembly consider a package of education reform bills, legislators - particularly those in suburban and rural districts - are asking "What's in it for me?" more often.

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 | Policy Brief by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Fall 2011 Legislative Priorities

Fall 2011 Legislative Priorities.

OCTOBER 31, 2011 | Feature by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Parents to Pa. House: We Need School Choice!

Listen to the lives and pleas of three parents with children trapped in failure factories, who tell House members why school choice is their only way out, their only hope.

OCTOBER 27, 2011 | Commentary by CARA DOCHAT, PRIYA ABRAHAM

Government Unions Steal Worker Freedom

Pennsylvania is one of 28 states in which workers can be compelled to give part of their paycheck to a union just to keep their job. Moreover, even non-membership is costly. Those able to evade union coercion are still compelled to pay hundreds of dollars in fair share fees, or agency fees, to cover their supposed share of benefits gained from collective bargaining.

OCTOBER 27, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Pennsylvania's Government Unions

Pennsylvania is a forced union state, meaning that workers can be forced to join a union or pay a "fair share fee" just to keep their job. Most government units in Pennsylvania are "agency shops," with a specified union to which workers must pay a fee. When state and local governments automatically deduct dues and fair share fees from government workers' paychecks—as is the practice in Pennsylvania—employees have little or no say in how their money is used.

OCTOBER 25, 2011 | Commentary by REPRESENTATIVE RICK SACCONE

Rep.: Pa. Ed Needs 1st Class Not Third-World Results

One of the most controversial and emotional issues facing our Commonwealth involves the future of the education system. The media's attempt to reduce nearly every major complicated issue to a sound bite has resulted in this debate being labeled "school choice."

OCTOBER 19, 2011 | Commentary by JAY OSTRICH

Willie and Penny Can’t Read

We'll call them Willie, Penny, Ben and Frankie, four public school students from Philadelphia, Reading, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, respectively. If they don't drop out of school and become clients of the state like many of their former classmates, they will soon graduate and compete in a global market for a dwindling supply of skilled and unskilled jobs.

OCTOBER 18, 2011 | News Release by JAY OSTRICH

Analysis Finds Failing Public Schools Racked by Violence

The Commonwealth Foundation released today an alarming new analysis of school violence that uncovered more than 4,500 criminal acts occurred at the 141 public schools scoring worst in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

OCTOBER 18, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Pennsylvania's Failing, Violent Schools

Nearly 82,000 children are enrolled in the 141 public schools with available data on violence in Pennsylvania's lowest-performing 5 percent on student proficiency. These schools reported more than 4,500 violent incidents in the 2009-10 school year alone.