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This article by Adam Whittenberg was published in The Lion about Palmetto Promise President & CEO Wendy Damron’s recent award. When the South Carolina Supreme Court abruptly ended South Carolina’s school choice program just weeks into the school year, Wendy Damron didn’t take things lying down. Damron, who heads the Palmetto Promise Institute think tank,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Donors Push Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue Fund to $2.2 million  COLUMBIA — To kick off National School Choice Week, Palmetto Promise Institute President Wendy Damron announced today that new support from three (3) additional donors has pushed the Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue fund to $2.2 million. The Rescue Fund goal,

COLUMBIA, South Car. (Jan. 24, 2025) – Families in South Carolina are eager to explore their school choice options, and dozens of schools in the Columbia and Lexington area are gathering to meet that need at a school fair timed to coincide with School Choice Week. No matter what type of school they’re looking for,

We are pleased to announce that Palmetto Promise Institute President & CEO Wendy Damron was awarded the Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Doer Award at the Awakening by Heritage Conference this past weekend. Heritage defines “Doers” as individuals who are making a difference in their personal lives or fields of work, advancing Heritage’s mission and values. The

A newly-released national poll conducted by yes. every kid. foundation. shows the steadfast support Americans have for education policies that prioritize choice and flexibility.   Have you ever thought of the K-12 education system as flexible?  Most Americans don’t, according to these poll results.  And yet Americans (and parents in particular) crave flexibility in education, and

College students that attend school in South Carolina deserve to exchange ideas freely and to have their speech fiercely protected. South Carolina should aim to be a place where all students from all backgrounds may speak their minds without censorship. This vision may become a reality this legislation session with the FORUM Act.   Representative Bill

“I’ve been asked, ‘Why are you in such a rush? Why are you in such a hurry? What’s the urgency on this?’ And I’ll be really clear about that. You’ve got a couple thousand students out there that are right in the middle of the school year. They have made that transition to an independent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ravenel B. Curry III Donates $500,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund COLUMBIA — Palmetto Promise Institute today announced a generous $500,000 donation from South Carolina native Ravenel B. Curry III to the ESTF Families Rescue Fund, a fund established to support families impacted by the recent SC Supreme Court

This article by Patrick Gleason originally ran in Forbes. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) and other opponents of expanded school choice celebrated the South Carolina Supreme Court’s September decision in Eidson et al. v. SC Department of Education et al, a ruling which blocked implementation of the state’s new Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF), an education

In 1988, after considerable and impassioned debate, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the Comprehensive Health Education Act. This law was a step forward in ensuring that all students across the Palmetto State receive health education that is both age-appropriate and comprehensive. Walking a legislative tightrope, the new statute created a standard to guide their