News & Brews July 14, 2023
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Shapiro’s ‘school choice sellout shows teachers’ unions still own Dems’
The Federalist Senior Contributor Jonathan Tobin writes that Gov. Shapiro’s flip-flop on Lifeline Scholarship shows that even supposed ‘moderate’ Democrats still bow to the teachers’ unions. The reason: These unions “in Pennsylvania, as in the rest of the country, are a crucial source of campaign funding and organizational muscle.”
The rise of Allegheny County progressives
RealClear Pennsylvania has an op-ed tracking the ascendance of progressives in Allegheny County politics. “[P]rogressives,” the piece notes, “are the new establishment.” While the roots of this extend back several years, the shift was most recently on display in the May Democrat primary elections.
The ‘ruinous consequences of George Soros’ bets
Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Thomas Hogan writes that, in targeting criminal justice-related elections, liberal billionaire George Soros “made some successful calculations and some mistakes—both leading to ruinous consequences for American cities.” Hogan points out where Soros’ predictions proved true but also where his miscalculations became apparent. For example, Soros was “dead wrong” that his “reforms would improve safety. Now, American cities are paying the price for his bets.” One of these cities is Philadelphia.
Study: Results are better than activity-focused mandates
It really shouldn’t take a study to figure this one out, but hey. A new study found that it’s better that professional educators demonstrate content knowledge than that they log a mandated number of hours of training. I know, I know. The study, commissioned by the state House, recommends “substitut[ing] a content requirement for a time requirement.” In other words, the goal should be actually learning something rather than marking off a required number of hours. What a great idea!