Thanks, Citizen Sleuths!

Education
Blog · April 5, 2023

Thanks, Citizen Sleuths! It appears that some in the education lobby didn’t like our “citizen sleuth” exercise from two weeks ago. (This was our call for your help calculating ease of access to health [sexuality] education curricula on school district websites.) Our simple research effort was spun this way in a Senate hearing on curriculum

ESA Bill in a Nutshell

Education
Blog · April 5, 2023

The following is the statement of Palmetto Promise Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith before the House Education and Public Works Committee on the matter of S.39, the Education Scholarships Accounts Act. Update: S.39 was signed by Governor McMaster on May 4, 2023. The effective date of the bill, now Act 8, is June 3,

Six Weeks Left

Education
Blog · March 30, 2023

It is hard to believe that there are only six weeks left in the first session of the 125th South Carolina General Assembly. But it is looking like a promising first year for the Palmetto Freedom Agenda. Here are some highlights with links to a deeper dive: Stay tuned for a full tracking of Palmetto

It’s School Choice Spring!

Education
Blog · March 16, 2023

With a Certified Public Accountant now at the helm of Palmetto Promise Institute, it is time to step up our numbers game! So, are you ready for a bit of simple “Education policy math”? To build our equation, consider events this week at the South Carolina Statehouse… If my calculator is right, that means— Again,

Would an Education Scholarship Account law be found constitutional in South Carolina?

Education
Blog · February 9, 2023

With not one, but two education choice bills moving in South Carolina, it is time for some straight talk about the likelihood of education choice legislation being found unconstitutional if passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor McMaster. But in order to arrive at an answer to that fundamental question, we must first

Education vs Indoctrination Dossier

Education
Blog · December 6, 2022

Since the onset of COVID-19, movements of parents have sprung up overnight in America. Some have adopted names and launched Facebook pages. Some have incorporated themselves as permanent organizations. Others are (for now) just email trees and group texts.   Whatever their size or level of organization, these “little platoons” (as Edmund Burke admiringly called

Three Cheers for Free Speech

Education
Blog · August 24, 2022

Three Cheers for Free Speech  Though a few decades have passed since I matriculated “where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness,” I am quite certain that during my undergraduate years at Clemson there was an openness to a wide range of opinion. The dominant view among faculty, administration, and students was that college should be