Lance T. izumi
California
A New Lesson for California School Superintendent
When middle-class parents in California opened their newspapers recently and read that the leviathan Los Angeles Unified School District had overpaid their employees by $53 million, many likely took comfort in the belief that at least the school districts in their own cozy suburban neighborhoods were well managed. These parents, ...
Commentary
Exit exam can help special-ed students succeed
San Francisco school officials and advocates for the disabled have recently made news fighting the state requirement that special education students take the high school exit exam. Upon closer inspection, this seeming issue of simple compassion becomes much more complicated. Students must pass the state high school exit exam, first ...
Commentary
The Dropout Disaster: We Told You So
In 1997, the Pacific Research Institute released the first of its ongoing California Index of Leading Education Indicators, which included a chapter on California’s dropout rate. The Index warned that the state Department of Education missed legions of dropouts who weren’t accounted for in the Department’s crude calculating methods. The ...
California
California Schools: America’s Future
Note: PRI’s Director of Education Studies, Lance T. Izumi, is featured as a panel participant in this documentary chronicling the decline of California’s education system which is currently being shown on public television stations in Callifornia. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scrambling to avoid $4.8 billion in potential cuts to ...
Commentary
Remembering Prop. 227 and the “End” of Bilingual Education
Ten years ago, most major California media opposed Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative that sought to end bilingual education. Unsurprisingly, the same media ignored the anniversary of the landmark ballot measure. In fact, virtually the only publication to take a serious look at 227’s ten-year record was ...
Commentary
Writing skills lacking across the spectrum
RECENT results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment of Educational ...
Education
English Immersion or Law Evasion?
On June 2, 1998, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 227, which significantly limited bilingual education for students not fluent in English in favor of structured English immersion (SEI). Bilingual education emphasizes the use of the native language of English-language-learner (EL) students for instruction in core subjects, while SEI requires teachers to ...
California
10 Years After Prop. 227: Bilingual Education Still Hanging On
SACRAMENTO – On June 2, California celebrates the 10th anniversary of Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative many believed would end bilingual education in the state’s classrooms. While 227 has resulted in numerous positive changes, guerrilla warfare by bilingual-education adherents has ensured that bilingual education continues to be ...
Commentary
Beware ‘less-than-best’ schools
FORBES magazine recently released another popular “best” list, this one rating the top suburbs in America. The selections derive from several factors, including school quality. The indicators, however, do not necessarily guarantee a top-quality school. Forbes’ analysis looked at graduation rates, per-pupil spending, and student-to-teacher ratios. However, none of this ...
California
National Report Card Confirms That Most California Kids Still Can’t Write
SACRAMENTO – Recent results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment ...
A New Lesson for California School Superintendent
When middle-class parents in California opened their newspapers recently and read that the leviathan Los Angeles Unified School District had overpaid their employees by $53 million, many likely took comfort in the belief that at least the school districts in their own cozy suburban neighborhoods were well managed. These parents, ...
Exit exam can help special-ed students succeed
San Francisco school officials and advocates for the disabled have recently made news fighting the state requirement that special education students take the high school exit exam. Upon closer inspection, this seeming issue of simple compassion becomes much more complicated. Students must pass the state high school exit exam, first ...
The Dropout Disaster: We Told You So
In 1997, the Pacific Research Institute released the first of its ongoing California Index of Leading Education Indicators, which included a chapter on California’s dropout rate. The Index warned that the state Department of Education missed legions of dropouts who weren’t accounted for in the Department’s crude calculating methods. The ...
California Schools: America’s Future
Note: PRI’s Director of Education Studies, Lance T. Izumi, is featured as a panel participant in this documentary chronicling the decline of California’s education system which is currently being shown on public television stations in Callifornia. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scrambling to avoid $4.8 billion in potential cuts to ...
Remembering Prop. 227 and the “End” of Bilingual Education
Ten years ago, most major California media opposed Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative that sought to end bilingual education. Unsurprisingly, the same media ignored the anniversary of the landmark ballot measure. In fact, virtually the only publication to take a serious look at 227’s ten-year record was ...
Writing skills lacking across the spectrum
RECENT results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment of Educational ...
English Immersion or Law Evasion?
On June 2, 1998, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 227, which significantly limited bilingual education for students not fluent in English in favor of structured English immersion (SEI). Bilingual education emphasizes the use of the native language of English-language-learner (EL) students for instruction in core subjects, while SEI requires teachers to ...
10 Years After Prop. 227: Bilingual Education Still Hanging On
SACRAMENTO – On June 2, California celebrates the 10th anniversary of Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative many believed would end bilingual education in the state’s classrooms. While 227 has resulted in numerous positive changes, guerrilla warfare by bilingual-education adherents has ensured that bilingual education continues to be ...
Beware ‘less-than-best’ schools
FORBES magazine recently released another popular “best” list, this one rating the top suburbs in America. The selections derive from several factors, including school quality. The indicators, however, do not necessarily guarantee a top-quality school. Forbes’ analysis looked at graduation rates, per-pupil spending, and student-to-teacher ratios. However, none of this ...
National Report Card Confirms That Most California Kids Still Can’t Write
SACRAMENTO – Recent results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment ...
