Lance Izumi
Blog
Read the latest on teachers' unions
Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions
A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Blog
Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates
Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Classroom Ideology
Read the latest on equity grading in public schools
Equity grading is just grade inflation dressed in woke clothing
As standardized student test scores plunge, some school districts are responding by masking student knowledge deficiencies through equity grading, which is little more than grade inflation dressed up in woke clothing. There is little doubt that student learning across the country is at a dire level. On the 2022 National ...
Blog
Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools
As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior. New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
Blog
Learn About Latest Ineffective Education Spending
Lawsuit Settlement Forces Accountability on California’s Spending for Student Learning Loss
After sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s unaccountable education spending proposals, I was happily surprised to see my criticisms vindicated in a recent court settlement that will force the state to finally demonstrate that its spending programs actually produce positive outcomes for students. In Governor Newsom’s proposed 2024-25 budget, he included ...
Blog
Celebrating National School Choice Week
Missing from Newsom’s Ed Budget: Student Outcome Goals and Choice
Newsom proposes $127 billion in total funding for education. Yet, his spending proposals contain no goals on improving student outcomes. For example, Newsom is proposing $13 billion to address learning loss among students and promote learning recovery. There is no question that California’s ineffective education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Blog
Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget
Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster
With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit. Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
Blog
Honoring America's heroes on Veterans Day
Personal stories and lessons for Veterans Day
Today, we honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces. We honor their dedication, their self-sacrifice, and their commitment to, in the words of General Douglas MacArthur, “Duty, honor, country.” Every veteran has his or her own story about how their military service impacted their life. What I’d ...
Blog
Latest study shows charters work
New Study Shows Charter Schools Are More Efficient and Effective Than Regular Public Schools
California has been a huge recipient of one-time federal COVID-19 dollars for education, with $23 billion pouring into the state’s coffers from Washington. On top of this federal funding, California public schools have received $18 billion in one-time state funding to address pandemic-related issues. Unfortunately, while some California public schools ...
Commentary
Read about California's latest test scores
California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate
Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
Read the latest on teachers' unions
Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions
A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates
Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Read the latest on equity grading in public schools
Equity grading is just grade inflation dressed in woke clothing
As standardized student test scores plunge, some school districts are responding by masking student knowledge deficiencies through equity grading, which is little more than grade inflation dressed up in woke clothing. There is little doubt that student learning across the country is at a dire level. On the 2022 National ...
Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools
As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior. New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
Learn About Latest Ineffective Education Spending
Lawsuit Settlement Forces Accountability on California’s Spending for Student Learning Loss
After sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s unaccountable education spending proposals, I was happily surprised to see my criticisms vindicated in a recent court settlement that will force the state to finally demonstrate that its spending programs actually produce positive outcomes for students. In Governor Newsom’s proposed 2024-25 budget, he included ...
Celebrating National School Choice Week
Missing from Newsom’s Ed Budget: Student Outcome Goals and Choice
Newsom proposes $127 billion in total funding for education. Yet, his spending proposals contain no goals on improving student outcomes. For example, Newsom is proposing $13 billion to address learning loss among students and promote learning recovery. There is no question that California’s ineffective education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget
Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster
With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit. Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
Honoring America's heroes on Veterans Day
Personal stories and lessons for Veterans Day
Today, we honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces. We honor their dedication, their self-sacrifice, and their commitment to, in the words of General Douglas MacArthur, “Duty, honor, country.” Every veteran has his or her own story about how their military service impacted their life. What I’d ...
Latest study shows charters work
New Study Shows Charter Schools Are More Efficient and Effective Than Regular Public Schools
California has been a huge recipient of one-time federal COVID-19 dollars for education, with $23 billion pouring into the state’s coffers from Washington. On top of this federal funding, California public schools have received $18 billion in one-time state funding to address pandemic-related issues. Unfortunately, while some California public schools ...
Read about California's latest test scores
California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate
Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
