K-12 Reform and the Future of South Carolina
PPF was honored to have an opportunity to bring Dr. Matt Ladner to testify at a recent South Carolina Senate hearing on the scholarship program. Below is his testimony:
Thoughts on American Exceptionalism
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin took to the pages of The New York Times to counsel Americans about “what is in our best interest” as a nation. He proceeded to chide President Obama for insinuating that there is something exceptional about America, ironically, picking up a theme with which President Obama himself is all
This September 11th
On this day, September 11, 2013, you might be transported back to the shocking horror of the Twin Towers falling in plumes of black fire and dust. Perhaps you are taken back to our Pentagon crumbling from Flight 77’s impact; maybe you hear an echo of the “Let’s Roll!” bravery of the heroes of Flight
Why does Milton Friedman matter?
Widely regarded as the groundbreaking leader of the Chicago School of monetary economics, Milton Friedman led a long and storied career, receiving the 1976 Nobel Prize for Economic Science, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988 and the National Medal of Science the same year. But he is beloved because his academic brilliance was employed in the practical service of people. Friedman’s observance of the facts led him to a passionate belief that people truly free to choose their course in life without the heavy hand of undue government interference is the surest way forward to create hope and opportunity – a rising tide of prosperity – for all.
Happy Independence Day!
By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. ~ “Concord Hymn,” Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1837 Today marks the 237th anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. After passage by the Continental Congress, a War for Independence ensued, with
Innovating SC Education Policy: Why the Need for Change?
Compelling statistics below that reinforce why education transformation is so vital to the economic future of our Palmetto State: Reading is not taught beyond 3rd grade, yet 38% of our state’s 4th graders are functionally illiterate and 72% read below grade level. (NAEP 2011) In Charleston County, nearly 20% of 9th graders read at a
Education Alert: Universal Pre-K…Spending for Success?
In short, “No.” President Obama’s push for massive federal spending on a universal pre-kindergarten program generated heated opposition over cost, government overreach and the questionable effectiveness of existing programs like Head Start. But now this debate has landed on our front step. The South Carolina State Senate is scheduled to vote early next week on
Subsidizing Bad Habits: How SC Pays for Other States
On a share-by-share basis, some donor states such as Texas, Florida, and South Carolina get less than an 85 percent share of the highway money they pay in [to the Federal Highway Trust Fund] while New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts get more than 100 percent. As bad as this disparity is, the allocation of federal transit spending is even more inequitable. Many highway donor states are also transit donor states, receiving much less for transit projects than they paid into the transit account, while many of the highway done states are also transit donees…
Thatcher was a true leader
The Greenville News By Ellen Weaver | Guest Columnist A post-Vietnam America adrift in self-doubt; a hostage crisis in Iran; gas lines; stagflation biting at family budgets: This was the weary reality of 1979, the year I was born. But it also marked the rise of Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher,
Can Poor Kids Learn?
The answer, based on the evidence garnered from Florida’s transformative education reforms is a resounding “Yes!” Demographics are not destiny. No one would deny that there are critical factors of home life – parental education, family structure, poor nutrition and other variables that directly impact the educational readiness of children who enter school. But far