COMMONWEALTH Matters


COMMONWEALTH Matters

J. WESLEY LECKRONE
Editor-in-Chief  

C OVID-19 has changed education, at least for the short term. The 
outbreak of the Coronovirus has caused most institutions of 
higher education in the United States to move all course content 
online. The disruption has forced instructors to revamp their cur-

riculum in the middle of the semester on very short notice. This has caused 
a scramble to find pedagogical resources that foster critical thinking and 
encourage debate in course discussion groups. Commonwealth: A Journal of 
Pennsylvania Politics and Policy has produced this special virtual issue on 
"Controversial Issues in Pennsylvania Politics and Policy" as a resource to 
help with the move to online instruction. The content is composed of 
previously published "Commonwealth Forums". Most of these are 
approximately 500 word pro-con arguments about an issue of importance to 
state politics. They are followed by resources for further information. All but 
two of the works come from our edited book series Pennsylvania Politics and 
Policy: A Commonwealth Reader, Volumes 1 and 2. They were written by 
myself and co-author Michelle Atherton of Temple University. The other two 
pieces are longer debates on the structural budget deficit and property taxes 
that were written by outside experts. 
     I would like to thank Temple University Press for allowing us to publish 
material from the Commonwealth Reader and for their help in getting this 
special virtual issue online in an expeditious fashion.