Education 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.

Education

Forced Unionism and Teacher Strikes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 22, 2008

Video from the National Right to Work Foundation  featuring Simon Campbell of Stop Teacher Strikes…

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Education

Time for School Board Transparency

  • October 20, 2008

Commonwealth Foundation launches “sunshine” project on school district labor negotiations HARRISBURG, PA —   Today, the Commonwealth Foundation announced the launch of a new project engaging in an effort to provide…

Press Release

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Education

Video: Flunked Panel Discussion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 9, 2008

Video of our panel discussion following the film Flunked, co-hosted by the REACH Foundation.  Discussants include Adam Schaeffer of the Cato Institute; school choice parents…

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Education

Video: Leaving Children Behind: Teacher Unions vs. School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 8, 2008

Video from yesterday’s Policies and Principles luncheon (co-hosted by the REACH Foundation) on school choice and the teachers’ unions is now available on our YouTube Channel. …

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Education

Flunked Trailer

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 24, 2008

Flunked: The Movie is a documentary looking at the failure of our public schools, and success stories in public education.  Below is the trailer. We will be hosting a…

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Education

‘Tis the Season…for teacher strikes, that is.

  • September 14, 2008

Saucon Valley teachers who make nearly $80K are ready to strike. Nick Falsone writes on his Bedlam in Bethlehem blog for The Express-Times about elementary school teacher Vivian Demko,…

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Education

The Harriet Tubman of School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 11, 2008

I’m in Phoenix for a conference of state think tanks and (with panels on education reform today), so I won’t be blogging much over the next few days. I will…

Media

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Education

Schools failing, but don’t give students choices

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 4, 2008

Tribune-Review article highlights chronically failing schools in the Pittsburgh area (see our report on school perfomance for more how schools are doing), and the No Child Left Behind mandate…

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Education

SAT Scores by State

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 28, 2008

EDITORS NOTE: Click here for the 2014 SAT Scores by state The College Board released their 2008 College Bound Seniors report which details SAT scores. Click here for a…

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Education

The Competitive Impact of School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 25, 2008

A reader asks, in response to a post about a study show school choice in Ohio had a competitive benefit to public schools, Do you have…

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Education

Is PHEAA reformable?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2008

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review questions whether PHEAA can be reformed, as the Auditor General suggests, given that the legislators who dominate the PHEAA board don’t think legislators should vote to…

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Education

School Choice Benefits Ohio Public Schools

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2008

A new study from the Friedman Foundation finds that Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program – offering scholarships to students in failing schools – resulted in academic improvements in voucher-eligible public…

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Education

Protect Our Kids from Preschool

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 23, 2008

Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell have a an editorial in the Wall Street Journal about the merits of universal preschool: In the last half-century, U.S. preschool attendance…

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Education

A Real Pennsylvania School “Report Card”

  • August 21, 2008

New report offers more accurate measure of education achievement HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation released A Pennsylvania School Report Card: How the Commonwealth’s Public Schools Stack Up to…

Press Release

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Education

A Pennsylvania School Report Card

  • August 21, 2008

Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance  on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Money, Money, Money

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 21, 2008

Teachers in Scranton are striking for more money Mid Valley school district officials are being criticized for spending too much money PHEAA is under scrutiny for recklessly…

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Education

Phix PHEAA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 20, 2008

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner has released his audit of PHEAA, recommending among other things that PHEAA’s board not be dominated by legislators (news release here).  Wagner does…

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Education

“Free” School Trip

  • August 18, 2008

The Times-Tribune ran a story on yet another instance of school officials using tax dollars for everything but educating students. The Mid Valley School District sent some of its…

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Education

Voices of school choice … and how to get involved

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 18, 2008

The REACH Foundation has a new “Voices of School Choice” profile on its website. This one is about Katie, who writes about how the choice of going to cyber…

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