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.
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Education
Pay Kindergarten Teachers Like Baseball Players?
The New York Times reports on some research – HT to Greg Mankiw – on the value of kindergarten improvement, and teachers, on earnings later in life. However,…
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More on Government Jobs in Recession
The Rockefeller Institute of Government recently analyzed a Bureau of Labor Statistics report on jobs at this point in the recession. The report finds that with 9.2% unemployment,…
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Do Conservatives Support National Education Standards?
The Fordham Institute, long advocates of national education standards, are celebrating the adoption of the Common Core Curriculum, calling it “national standards conservatives can love”. The basis for this…
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Cyber School Rewarded for Its Effectiveness
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has renewed the charter for the state’s first cyber charter school to offer all grades K-12. CEO Dr. Nick Trombetta acknowledged this accomplishment:…
Media
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New School Choice Legislation Introduced in PA Senate
Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) introduced Senate Bill 1405, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, last month with three Republican co-sponsors. This legislation represent a huge opportunity to increase parental choice in…
Media
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Unethical Philly Superintendent Leeching Taxpayers Dry
Last school year, taxpayers gave Philadelphia School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman $65,000 (in addition to her salary of $325,000, which could be close to $500,000 next year). But…
Media
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Will Increased Education Funding Solve Our Problems?
Recently, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a budget for FY 2011. Governor Rendell praised the budget for increasing education funding by $250 million. But is increased funding for our schools…
Media
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Penn State Clears “Award-Winning” Mann in Climategate
Unsurprisingly, Penn State’s second investigation into its own faculty member, Michael Mann, cleared him of any scientific misconduct charges today. Among the reasons for clearing Mann, the report notes:…
Media
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Politics Making a Mess of Education
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Media
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Pennsylvania Education Spending
Pennsylvania's education spending increased from $4 billion in 1980 to over $25 billion in 2009-a 133% increase in per-pupil spending, after adjusting for inflation. School construction and debt spending has…
Fact Sheet
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House Passes Special Ed “Reform”
Yesterday, without much press, the Pennsylvania House passed special education funding reforms that attempt to improve the effectiveness of special ed funding. Rep. Sturla’s bill would adjust the funding…
Media
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DC Vouchers Boost High School Graduation Rates
University of Arkansas professor Patrick Wolf recently concluded a study of the voucher program in D.C. The study concludes that this simple, six-year program was able to increase graduation…
Media
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A Taxpayer’s Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania
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Report
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The True Beneficiaries of Education Subsidies
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Commentary
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Government Preschool Delivers Few Results
State Sen. Pat Browne is quoted on John Micek’s blog Wednesday, citing an oft-repeated claim that government funding for preschool is one of the “best investments” of taxpayer money:…
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Monitoring Charter Schools
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PA School Districts Have $2.5 Billion in Reserves
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Media
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Celebrating School Choice
Yesterday the REACH Alliance held the 9th annual birthday party for Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit – see story here – in which hundreds of students and parents showed…
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Some Educating Research on Education
I’m a little behind on my reading – hence I am going through two editions of the quarterly journal Education Next. Nonetheless, there are a number of interesting and informative…
Media
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Are Pittsburgh Public Schools Among the Nation’s Best?
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Media
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Cyber School Stardom
Participating in PA Cyber Charter School won’t guarantee a student’s stardom but it did make it possible for Aaron Kelly, an 2010 American Idol finalist. Kelly, a 17 year…
Media
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