VOTE NOW: Policy Bracketology

Blog · April 3, 2024

We don’t know about y’all, but March Madness has the Palmetto Promise team in a bracket-making mood.  Because we’ve recently celebrated Palmetto Promise Institute’s eleventh birthday, we have been reflecting on the impact our work has had on state policy over that time and what we regard as our top accomplishments.   Naturally, these rankings found

SC House to State Universities: Stop DEI, Protect Free Speech!

Education
Blog · March 28, 2024

Earlier this week, after hours of debate and over 100 amendments proposed (but with just one adopted) the South Carolina House of Representatives passed legislation banning Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) from hiring, promotion, and admissions policies in state colleges and universities. The measure also included language protecting free speech on campus. The vote on

Breaking Down 2024-25 ESTF Application Data

Education
Blog · March 27, 2024

For the 2024-25 school year, South Carolina’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program has 5,000 slots available to students who meet the eligibility requirements: 1) have attended a public school during the 2023-24 school year OR are entering kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year and 2) have a household income at or below 200% of

Let My People Work!

Quality of Life
Blog · March 26, 2024

Back in 2020, Palmetto Promise Institute published the Palmetto Playbook, a football-themed policy manual designed to “move South Carolina’s economy down the field” after the pandemic. We were in COVID lockdown, so we had plenty of time to draw on scores of policy recommendations and state rankings from across the nation. Very quickly, we were

FORBES: Tennessee Could Follow South Carolina’s Lead With Cost-Reducing Reform

Healthcare
Blog · March 26, 2024

Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith is quoted in this article on Certificate of Need Reform written by Patrick Gleason and originally published in Forbes. South Carolina is a red state where Republicans have long held statewide offices and majorities in the state legislature, but the Palmetto State has not been a national leader