Articles

Pennsylvania school districts cannot avoid state charter school law by refusing to act

September 06, 2016 | By CALEB TROTTER

In August, during Back to School Choice Week 2016, I called your attention to the story of Discovery Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2012, Discovery requested an amendment to its charter with the School District of Philadelphia to increase its enrollment. Because of Discovery’s success, it has amassed a substantial waiting li ...

Articles

Back to School Choice Week 2016 round-up

August 29, 2016 | By WENCONG FA

PLF is committed to giving parents and students a meaningful choice in education. That is why PLF attorneys work year-round to ensure that families are able to send their children to the best school to fit their educational needs. PLF attorneys litigate on behalf of those families, share their stories, and celebrate their success. We continued &# ...

Articles

Back to School Choice Week 2016 : The latest in the Philadelphia school district’s attempt to stop charter schools from growing

August 26, 2016 | By CALEB TROTTER

Discovery Charter School is a successful Philadelphia school that serves grades K-8. In light of its academic success, Discovery has amassed a waiting list of 1,448 hopeful students. In 2012, Discovery sought permission from the School District of Philadelphia to amend its charter to increase enrollment by 430 students over a four-year period. B ...

Articles

Back to School Choice Week 2016 : The sad end to Vergara highlights the need for school choice

August 24, 2016 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

A little over two years ago the Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a decision in Vegara v. California that shook the California public school system. The court ruled that three Education Code statutes — permanent employment, last-in-first-out, and dismissal — violated the rights of California students under California’s Equ ...

Articles

Why John Oliver's "pizza shop" attack on charter schools falls flat

August 23, 2016 | By WENCONG FA

John Oliver made news this week with his blistering attack on charter schools. In the segment, Oliver blasts a former presidential candidate who used pizza shops to make the point that “we will improve the public schools if there’s a sense of competition.” If there’s just one pizza shop in town, good luck getting better  ...

Articles

Back to School Choice Week 2016

August 23, 2016 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

What’s better than one School Choice Week?  Two school choice weeks. At PLF we weren’t satisfied with simply celebrating school choice week in January, so four years ago we started Back to School Choice Week. As kids are going back to school, it’s important to remember that most families in this country have few educational opt ...

Articles

Big victory for charter schools in Philadelphia

August 28, 2015 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

The Commonwealth Court issued a major victory to charter schools in Philadelphia yesterday when it ruled the Philadelphia School District cannot unilaterally decide to ignore state law. In a case that PLF has been following very closely, the school district had tried to suspend state law law preventing it from imposing enrollment caps on charter & ...

Articles

Revisiting my podcast with Cato's Andrew Coulson

August 27, 2015 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

For Back to School Choice Week 2015, I am reposting my podcast with Andrew Coulson, Director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. It is the best podcast I have been a part of, and it is especially apt for Back to School Choice Week. Andrew and I discuss a variety of school … ...

Articles

Blaine Amendments : One of the biggest impediments to nationwide school choice

August 26, 2015 | By CHRIS KIESER

In 2002, school choice advocates won a major victory when the Supreme Court of the United States upheld an Ohio scholarship program designed to provide better educational options to students in inner-city Cleveland. The program provided district students with a scholarship to attend any participating public or private school within the district bou ...