Lance Izumi
California
CAPITAL IDEAS: Teacher Shortages, Union Contracts and the Supreme Court
A recent NBC Nightly News story warned of a nationwide teacher shortage, with 21,000 teacher positions needing to be filled in California alone. The NBC report said, “The demand is especially high in science, math, and special education.” What NBC failed to say, however, was that much of the shortage ...
Commentary
Middle-class Colorado students underperform on federal testing
Are the Colorado public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents seem to think so. They may believe that student performance problems are limited to places like poor areas in Denver. But the public schools serving many middle-class Colorado students are not performing as well as ...
California
What do the Common Core Test results Really Tell Us?
When the California Department of Education recently released the results of the 2015 Common Core math and English tests, officials attributed the low student scores to the increased rigor of both the new standards and the new test. However, the real reasons are not so simple, and much more worrying. ...
Commentary
Are suburban schools as good as parents think?
Are the Michigan public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents think so. But many middle-class, suburban schools are not as good as parents think. That’s the finding of a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, which found evidence of widespread underachievement in Michigan. The ...
Commentary
Why Your State Should Copy Nevada’s School Choice Plan
With new research showing widespread underperformance among middle class students in states across the country, Nevada’s recently enacted nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program could not have come at a better time. Under Nevada’s new program, for parents earning above the low-income level, the state will deposit funds totaling ...
Commentary
All states should emulate Nevada’s Universal School Choice plan
With a landmark stroke of his pen, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval recently signed legislation establishing the nation’s first statewide school-choice education-savings-account program available to all parents, regardless of their income level. With new studies showing widespread underperformance among middle-class children across the country, other states should implement similar programs immediately. ...
Blended Learning
Moonshots in Education
Moonshots in Education helps teachers “shoot for the moon.” As research has consistently shown, learning—success in school and beyond is related to one’s ability to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Moonshots provides examples of successful blended learning methods in classrooms around the United States and the world, and offers a ...
Education
Not as Good as You Think: Michigan
Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Many middle-class Michiganders think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Detroit, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many Michigan public schools ...
Education
Not As Good As You Think – Texas
Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. Thats why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a good school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line neighborhoods and pricey homes the ...
Commentary
The Reality of Common Core in the Classroom
If one asked most people a couple years ago about the Common Core national education standards, the response would have been a blank stare. Now, Common Core is a front-burner political issue because parents are discovering that their children are struggling under the new standards. Common Core is a set ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: Teacher Shortages, Union Contracts and the Supreme Court
A recent NBC Nightly News story warned of a nationwide teacher shortage, with 21,000 teacher positions needing to be filled in California alone. The NBC report said, “The demand is especially high in science, math, and special education.” What NBC failed to say, however, was that much of the shortage ...
Middle-class Colorado students underperform on federal testing
Are the Colorado public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents seem to think so. They may believe that student performance problems are limited to places like poor areas in Denver. But the public schools serving many middle-class Colorado students are not performing as well as ...
What do the Common Core Test results Really Tell Us?
When the California Department of Education recently released the results of the 2015 Common Core math and English tests, officials attributed the low student scores to the increased rigor of both the new standards and the new test. However, the real reasons are not so simple, and much more worrying. ...
Are suburban schools as good as parents think?
Are the Michigan public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents think so. But many middle-class, suburban schools are not as good as parents think. That’s the finding of a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, which found evidence of widespread underachievement in Michigan. The ...
Why Your State Should Copy Nevada’s School Choice Plan
With new research showing widespread underperformance among middle class students in states across the country, Nevada’s recently enacted nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program could not have come at a better time. Under Nevada’s new program, for parents earning above the low-income level, the state will deposit funds totaling ...
All states should emulate Nevada’s Universal School Choice plan
With a landmark stroke of his pen, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval recently signed legislation establishing the nation’s first statewide school-choice education-savings-account program available to all parents, regardless of their income level. With new studies showing widespread underperformance among middle-class children across the country, other states should implement similar programs immediately. ...
Moonshots in Education
Moonshots in Education helps teachers “shoot for the moon.” As research has consistently shown, learning—success in school and beyond is related to one’s ability to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Moonshots provides examples of successful blended learning methods in classrooms around the United States and the world, and offers a ...
Not as Good as You Think: Michigan
Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Many middle-class Michiganders think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Detroit, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many Michigan public schools ...
Not As Good As You Think – Texas
Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. Thats why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a good school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line neighborhoods and pricey homes the ...
The Reality of Common Core in the Classroom
If one asked most people a couple years ago about the Common Core national education standards, the response would have been a blank stare. Now, Common Core is a front-burner political issue because parents are discovering that their children are struggling under the new standards. Common Core is a set ...
