South Carolina’s public education system is governed by a complex, and often overlapping, set of stakeholders, from the State Superintendent of Education to the State Board of Education, local school districts and their boards, district superintendents, and of course the General Assembly. Each of these parties has some role in how education is governed and

This report examines policies relating to free speech and expression within South Carolina public institutions of higher education. Declarations of intent or belief like the Chicago Statement are admirable, but the proof is in the pudding—or in specific policies, rather.

It was a high honor for Virgil C. Summer when SCE&G named its new power plant for him. After all, in 1984, V.C. Summer I was an impressive engineering feat. The new nuclear reactor generated a whopping 966 MW of electricity, and its construction was so efficient that it cost far less per MW generated

This op-ed was published in the Carolina Journal on July 25, 2024. It is written by Bryce Fiedler, director of the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network, for which Palmetto Promise is a partner organization. It’s been over 300 years since the colony of Carolina was officially divided, establishing distinct North and South Carolina colonies. Today, as

This op ed by Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith was originally published in the National Review, July 23, 2024. Because South Carolina wisely resisted total lockdown during Covid, coming out of the pandemic, we were in a good position. But on fiscal issues, state leaders had been content to kick the can down

American entrepreneurship, once legendary, is on the decline. The United States Joint Economic Committee reports that since the 1970s entrepreneurship has diminished across multiple different measures, including business formation. One reason for the reduction in business start-ups is the increasingly complex regulatory environment that government has introduced in the past few years. Small businesses are

This piece by Lisa Buie was originally published on the NextSteps by Step Up for Students. It quotes a Palmetto Promise Institute statement. The latest: With about a month left before the new school year begins, nearly 3,000 South Carolina students and their families still face uncertainty as they wait for the South Carolina Supreme Court

Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN) proudly announces the appointment of Bryce Fiedler as its first Director. Fiedler, formerly a Senior Policy Analyst with the South Carolina Policy Council, brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to educational excellence and parental empowerment. CALN, a collaborative initiative between the John Locke Foundation (Locke) in North

We are excited to share our latest energy report, which looks at the possibility of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a solution to what is undoubtedly an energy crisis in South Carolina. DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT. What is the current state of energy in South Carolina? South Carolina’s energy status is characterized by outrageous costs

In the 2023-24 legislative session, Senator and Education Committee Chair Greg Hembree (R-Horry) introduced S.134, a bill that would require South Carolina school boards to livestream their meetings or make them otherwise electronically accessible in real-time.[1] The bill passed the Senate unanimously in early 2023 but unfortunately died in the House, after waiting an entire