Education
Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocates
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer After a more than eight-year slog, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed what the Pennsylvania Constitution has said all…
Read More: Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocatesEducation is the first stepping-stone on the path to success, but Pennsylvania students face severe inequality among public school districts. Thousands who can’t afford private school are trapped in failing schools or situations that aren’t the right fit. The solution to this crisis is school choice. By offering families options outside their zip code-assigned district schools, students are better able to find their path to success. Charter schools, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts (ESAs), homeschooling, and other types of education choice must become a priority in Pennsylvania.
Related Issues
Education
School Choice Progress in PA 2017-18
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. This African saying, attributed by some to Desmond Tutu, has been successfully employed by school choice advocates in…
Media
Read More: School Choice Progress in PA 2017-18Education
Teacher shortage? Try competition.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to … tinker with markets. That isn’t the original ending to that sentence, but it is certainly accurate. There…
Media
Read More: Teacher shortage? Try competition.Education
Pittsburgh School Choice Fair
When I walked into the Pittsburgh School Choice Fair on Saturday, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I certainly did not anticipate being blown away by the diversity of…
Media
Read More: Pittsburgh School Choice FairEducation
Education Is a Necessity and We Should Fund It Like It?s One
Note: This commentary was originally published by Education Post. Letting parents choose the school or schooling that best fits their child shouldn't be so controversial. We don’t question the…
Media
Read More: Education Is a Necessity and We Should Fund It Like It?s OneEducation
Tax Credit Scholarships: Raise the Limits!
As shown in a recent CF report, Pennsylvania is a state at risk. Violence in schools, while decreasing, still occurs at a significant level. Pennsylvania’s achievement gaps are…
Media
Read More: Tax Credit Scholarships: Raise the Limits!Education
Fact Sheet: School Funding and Student Outcomes
Conversations about improving education often devolve into who will spend more. This enables some policymakers to offer a one-dimensional solution—funding—to a multi-dimensional issue—education. Key questions are ignored when the only…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Fact Sheet: School Funding and Student OutcomesEducation
Grandma, What Do You Mean Schools Were Assigned by Zip Code?
My kids can’t imagine a world where nearly any question can’t be answered in mere seconds. Despite growing up without the internet, I can barely imagine it myself. In a…
Media
Read More: Grandma, What Do You Mean Schools Were Assigned by Zip Code?Education
Will School Choice Reach the Supreme Court Next Year?
Annie Jackson, a waitress at Roxy’s Café in downtown Harrisburg, knows firsthand why families need school choice. Annie waitressed eight months into her pregnancy to pay private school tuition for…
Media
Read More: Will School Choice Reach the Supreme Court Next Year?Education
Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Gap
As highlighted in a recent CF report, 50 percent of student tax credit scholarship applications since 2012 have been denied due to program limits. “In 2016-17 alone, almost…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Opportunity GapEducation
The Need for Charter Schools
For 133,000 children across Pennsylvania, charter schools do more than provide an education. Charter schools provide an alternative for kids whose needs aren't met in district schools—they…
Media
Read More: The Need for Charter SchoolsEducation
Applying to a Philly Charter School Just Got Easier
For many families, navigating a mystifying and meandering path through rows and rows of corn stalks has become a favorite fall tradition. Often—especially for the more adventurous kids—getting lost in…
Media
Read More: Applying to a Philly Charter School Just Got EasierEducation
School Choice: Diverse Options for Diverse Families
The Long and Winding Road. In addition to being a great song by the Beatles, this phrase sums up my family’s educational journey. My children spent time in a local…
Media
Read More: School Choice: Diverse Options for Diverse FamiliesEducation
Unions and their Impact on Teachers
Conventional wisdom tells us unions are good for teachers. But is this true? While teachers’ unions have certainly benefited union leadership, rank and file teachers should carefully evaluate the…
Media
Read More: Unions and their Impact on TeachersEducation
Education Funding Principles
With mid-term elections nearing, both candidates for governor are wrestling with how to create a better education system, including a more equitable funding system. Here are five principles any education…
Media
Read More: Education Funding PrinciplesEducation
Back-to-School Disappointment for Thousands
Thousands of kids across Pennsylvania are finishing up their first month of school. For many of them, the beginning of the school year is an exciting chance to catch up with…
Media
Read More: Back-to-School Disappointment for ThousandsEducation
Opportunity Denied: To Meet Demand, Tax Credit Scholarship Caps Must Expand
The 2018-19 state budget included a $25 million expansion of Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. This will allow up to 15,000 additional students to receive scholarships. While helpful, 52,857…
Memo
Read More: Opportunity Denied: To Meet Demand, Tax Credit Scholarship Caps Must ExpandEducation
Opportunity Denied: 50,000+ Tax Credit Scholarship Applications Rejected Annually
Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs are so popular that they could double in size and still not meet demand. That’s a major finding of a new report by the…
Press Release
Read More: Opportunity Denied: 50,000+ Tax Credit Scholarship Applications Rejected AnnuallyEducation
Young Entrepreneurs in Action
It’s rare to see kids voluntarily give up their Saturday to work. But that’s exactly what my 12- and 14-year old daughters—along with a dozen other kids—did at the recent…
Media
Read More: Young Entrepreneurs in ActionEducation
More is Not Always Better
In the ongoing school funding case, William Penn School District v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, several school districts are suing the state on the grounds that Pennsylvania has…
Media
Read More: More is Not Always BetterEducation
Safe Schools and School Choice
It’s back-to-school time. For parents, sending children into someone else’s care can be bittersweet. We want our kids to experience the wonder of learning and the joy of play. But…
Media
Read More: Safe Schools and School ChoiceEducation
“Sick Schools”: Philadelphia Students Deserve Better
Earlier this year, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News published a shocking series, “Toxic City: Sick Schools.” The report revealed abysmal conditions in Philadelphia district schools: peeling lead paint,…
Media
Read More: “Sick Schools”: Philadelphia Students Deserve Better