New Poll Shows Americans Are Committed to Educational Freedom

Education
Blog · December 17, 2024

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

Education Without Censorship: How the FORUM Act Could Shape SC Higher Ed

Education
Blog · December 16, 2024

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

The First Step to Save SC School Choice

Education
Blog · December 12, 2024

“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

RELEASE: Ravenel B. Curry III Donates $500,000 to Palmetto Promise Institute’s ESTF Families Rescue Fund

Education
Blog · November 12, 2024

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

School Choice Is Still Alive In South Carolina Despite Recent Setback

Education
Blog · October 23, 2024

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

The History and Future of Curriculum Transparency in South Carolina

Education
Blog · October 21, 2024

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

Conservative billionaire revives South Carolina’s school choice program rocked by sudden court decision

Education
Blog · October 18, 2024

This article by Jillian Schneider was originally published in The Lion. Just weeks after the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down school choice in the state, a conservative billionaire is coming to the rescue, at least through the end of this year. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF)

After court defeats SC school choice vouchers, conservative billionaire steps in to foot bill

Education
Blog · October 18, 2024
People wearing backpacks

This article by Nick Reynolds originally appeared in the Post and Courier. COLUMBIA — A conservative Pennsylvania billionaire will foot tuition costs for hundreds of private school students after South Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled a new school choice voucher program is unconstitutional. Jeffrey Yass, a political megadonor and longtime school choice advocate, is donating approximately $900,000 to cover

Billionaire awards a new version of the Yass Prize, this time to help an entire state

Education
Blog · October 17, 2024
Schoolkids raising their hands in classroom

This story by Lisa Buie originally appeared on Next Steps Blog. The big news: Yamilette Albertson Rodriguez could hardly contain her excitement. A Philadelphia billionaire whose name she had never heard before had donated $900,000 to cover tuition for her three kids and other students whose state scholarships had been ripped away by a South Carolina