In January 2025, The Nation’s Report Card released the scores from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade math and reading—though South Carolina has not tested 12th grade math since 2013. Usually administered every other year, NAEP gives us a snapshot of our academic achievement. When paired with
This week, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina (ACLU – SC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians and three public school students against the South Carolina Superintendent of Education and the Greenville County School District. The lawsuit challenges SCDE Regulation 43-170, which prohibits the use of
South Carolina has been hit with an historical occurrence, one that this state has never seen before: three South Carolina General Assembly special election primaries will take place on the same day: October 21, 2025. So far, a total of four vacancies in the South Carolina House and Senate will be up for grabs in
Supporting families, protecting opportunity, and advancing a national model for educational freedom
In 2020, COVID lockdowns sent workers home. This changed the landscape of jobs in the United States. Initially, this was believed to be permanent. During COVID, telecommuting and remote work became the norm. Five years later, some employers, public and private, still allow workers to telecommute or work remote. According to the U.S. Office of
The United States Department of Education is releasing guidance on unconventional ways that states can enact some forms of school choice using federal funds or policy. In a March 2025 “Dear Colleague” letter, Hayley Sanon, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, reminds states that they may reserve 3% of their
At Palmetto Promise Institute, we are proud to advance policies that support a free market economy in South Carolina. The term “free market” is frequently used, yet often misinterpreted as a free-for-all economic melee without a governmental role. It is essential to clarify this. In a theoretical model of pure free markets (see your Econ
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy in South Carolina. As of 2024, there were 507,620 small businesses (defined as firms with fewer than 500 employees), making up 99.4% of businesses in the Palmetto State. Because of this outsized role in our quality of life, the government should be very reluctant to interfere with
Does the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have the power to regulate emerging nuclear technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)? That is the question being posed in a new lawsuit brought against the NRC by several nuclear technology companies in cooperation with the states of Texas, Utah, Louisiana, and Florida, as well as the Arizona
The University of South Carolina System is taking a leadership role—alongside public higher education systems in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas—in creating a new accrediting agency focused on public institutions. This first-of-its-kind collaboration, known as the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE), aims to strengthen academic excellence, prioritize student outcomes, and streamline accreditation
