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Born in South Carolina in 1875, education pioneer Mary McLeod Bethune's understanding was limited to her life experience of being a daughter to former slaves and picking cotton with her family...until she picked up her first book and her life changed forever. Now, her legacy is inspiring the next generation in the fight to ensure that all South Carolina children—no matter what kind of house they live in or the color of their skin—have access to the education option that helps them reach their full, individual God-given potential.

PPI Senior Fellow Oran Smith appears in this news story from WSPA. COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) — As teachers and students continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina, many are wondering how the pandemic has impacted academic performance. Last year, South Carolina received a waiver from the federal government for standardized testing due to

How can we move forward as a state to support students, parents, and teachers if we don’t even know for sure how students are doing?

PPI President and CEO Ellen Weaver is quoted in Center Square regarding PPI’s priorities for the 2021 legislative session. (The Center Square) – South Carolina lawmakers will return to Columbia on Tuesday to begin the 2021 legislative session, and more than 800 pieces of legislation already have been filed for the General Assembly to consider.

Effective Education for Every Student These 19 recommendations are drawn from the Palmetto Promise Playbook report. You can view our policy agenda for other issues by clicking below. Energy  | Healthcare | Tax & Budget | Work, Justice, & Quality of Life EXPAND EDUCATION CHOICE Adopt an Education Scholarship Account (ESA) law that will provide qualified

“SAFE Grants have created the opportunity for our family and families like ours to truly have school choice, give our children the chance to succeed and give us the ability to fully support their learning needs.” Columbia, SC “I have three children. My oldest is 23. She chose to commission into the army and she’s

“The public-school district was looking at four to six hours in front of a computer for virtual learning. Developmentally, that’s just not appropriate for a four-year-old with Down syndrome.” Janie Neeley has a four-year-old son with Down Syndrome. In late Spring, she decided to enroll her son in K4 at their local public elementary school

Public policy work can never be ho-hum, when you realize that it’s all about making people’s lives better! That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to sharing the stories of real people and promoting policy solutions that provide real relief for our South Carolina neighbors. Amid the Coronavirus fallout, there is no better example of impactful, common sense policy than SAFE Grants, which would open up new education hope for struggling low- and moderate-income families. These grants would provide qualified families with the financial support they

The reaction to Governor McMaster’s allocation of $32 million for SAFE Grants for low and moderate-income children to attend the private school of their choice has been met with shrieks from the public education lobby. As they tell it, the sky is falling, this is “a war on public schools,” civilization as we know it

This op-ed originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Elizabeth Reilly was preparing for a hard conversation with her children. She couldn’t afford to keep them in the private school they had always attended. The Reillys had worked hard and relied on family help to keep their two children—who each face learning challenges—in the school that