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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Free-Market Approaches to Fiscal Policy
Good morning. My name is Nathan Benefield; I am the Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation, a research and policy institute in Harrisburg. I want to thank the…
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Spending Restraint Needed
Good afternoon. My name is Nathan Benefield, I am the Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation. I would like to thank Chairman Armstrong and the members of the…
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Management 101 for Our Public Schools
Terry Moe in today’s Wall Street Journal on incentive pay for teachers.
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How NOT to reduce the cost of college
Senator Joe Conti unveiled a proposal to expand the state sales tax and dedicate the revenue to Penn State University. Why? Penn State’s tuition is too high. This proposal…
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The Education Revolution America Needs
From the Washington Post’s Think Tank Town.
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The Laptop Revolution Has No Clothes
Education Week editorial on the lack of evidence for “a laptop on every desk” mythology (registration required).
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Federal probe targets PHEAA
The US Department of Education is investigating PHEAA for overbilling taxpayers for federal loan reimbursements, the Patriot News reports. I guess PHEAA will have to open their books after…
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Our Soviet education model
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Bill Steigerwald interviews the Cato Institute’s Neal McCluskey on how a number of “conservatives” have taken a “180-degree wrong turn from conservatism’s once-solid principles of limited government,…
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Is Our Kids Learning?
Following multiple reports on student test scores, much has been made about how well Pennsylvania students are performing. In August, Governor Rendell delighted in the results from the PSSA—the state’s…
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Posh dorms become the norm
AP story on the posh living quarters and lifestyles of today’s college students. As the alma mater is featured (and I must admit, I had quite the bachelor pad…
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Editorial: PHEAA should open books or lose monopoly
DelcoTimes suggests “If PHEAA doesn’t want to open its books, the state should open its doors to competition in the student loan field. Then residents can compare organizations and…
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School choice leads to less segregation
Contrary to the rhetoric of many opponents of school choice, two new studies from the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation shows that private schools participating in the voucher programs…
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The best education reform: More sleep.
Wall Street Journal editorial on why schools should start their days later. I’ve never considered this from a policy point of view, but I know that for 13 years,…
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SAT Scores and PA Schools
SAT Scores Nationally, scores dropped, primarily attributed to a change in the test format. Pennsylania continues to lag behind, ranking 47th in the nation in average combined SAT score.
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Excess at PHEAA
Following Commonwealth Foundation president Matthew Brouillette’s chat about PHEAA on Wednesday’s Bob Durgin Show, a number of newspapers have run stories of the staff bonuses, “profit,” and extravagant trips…
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New Test Scores In
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has posted the 2005-2006 PSSA Results (the state’s standardized test for 3rd through 8th grade and 11th grade students). It has data statewide, for…
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Loan agency chief rakes in cash
The Patriot News reports that the head of PHEAA – the state agency which issues and manages student loans – will earn a bonus of nearly $200,000 (on top…
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Education funding should go with child
Former PA Secretary of Education Charles Zogby writes in the Patriot-News how we OUGHT to fund education, but don’t. Zogby says: “Today, nearly 35 percent of Pennsylvania children graduate…
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Preschool Algebra
From Governor Rendell’s News Release: “An independent study by a renowned firm confirms that more than 160,000 students in 48 Pennsylvania schools are benefiting from investments in early childhood…
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For School Equality, Try Mobility
How “funding the child” would provide greater school equity and choice – by Rod Paige in today’s New York Times.
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Has School Choice Crossed the Rubicon?
Clint Bolick argues yes in today’s Wall Street Journal. Even Democratic leaders (including Sen. Ted Kennedy and our own Governor Rendell) have signed on to school choice programs (albeit…
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