Education
Commentary
Report: ‘Middle Class’ Schools In New Jersey Falling Short
More than one in four “middle class” public high schools in New Jersey had half or more of their students fail to reach the college readiness benchmark, according to a recent report from the Pacific Research Institute. Middle class schools were defined by the study as those who have one-third ...
Ali Meyer
February 18, 2016
California
Key Brown Education Legacy Program Comes up Short
In his 2016 State of the State address, Governor Jerry Brown touted the centerpiece of his education agenda, the Local Control Funding Formula, which simplifies the way in which local school districts are funded. Yet his key legacy program has experienced critical implementation problems and has exposed, once again, the ...
Lance Izumi
February 11, 2016
Education
Not As Good As You Think: New Jersey
Read the Study Read the Press Release Many middle-class New Jersey residents think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Newark, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many New Jersey ...
Pacific Research Institute
February 1, 2016
California
Admission By California’s State Attorney May Blow Union’s Case
During this week’s much-anticipated oral arguments in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association U.S. Supreme Court case, which challenges mandatory teacher-union fees, a critical exchange took place between Justice Antonin Scalia, who is viewed as the swing vote in the case, and the attorney representing the State of California. The ...
Lance T. izumi
January 21, 2016
Commentary
Statement from PRI Senior Director of Education Studies Lance Izumi on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association
January 11, 2015 – The Pacific Research Institute issued the following statement by Senior Education Studies Director Lance Izumi on today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association: “The admission by the attorney for the State of California that the collective bargaining contract negotiated by ...
Pacific Research Institute
January 12, 2016
Commentary
Freedom, not union, key to teachers’ case
Almost everybody agrees that an employee – public or private – should be judged on his or her individual qualifications and performance. Yet, for many of the nation’s teachers, their freedom to be treated as individuals is barred by a collective bargaining process that treats them as a group. This ...
Lance Izumi
January 7, 2016
California
Rebecca Friedrichs: Challenging Compulsory Union Dues and Standing Up for Freedom
In March 2015, PRI filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) -a major case challenging compulsory union dues that nearly all California teachers are required to pay. The case, spearheaded by the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), was brought by ...
Pacific Research Institute
January 6, 2016
Commentary
Report: Majority Of Middle-Class Public High Schools In Colorado Underperform
A large majority of “middle class” public high schools in Colorado had half or more of their students fail to reach proficiency on at least one state math or reading exam, according to a recent report from the Pacific Research Institute. Middle class schools were defined by the study as ...
Ali Meyer
December 8, 2015
California
California Public Employees Unions Join Forces To Oppose Charter Growth
Teachers unions in Los Angeles (LA) and other public employee unions formed a coalition to fight the expansion of charter schools in California. The expansion effort, led by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation (BF), aims at more than doubling the number of students attending public charter schools in Los ...
Chris Neal
November 23, 2015
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 ...
Lance Izumi
November 3, 2015
Report: ‘Middle Class’ Schools In New Jersey Falling Short
More than one in four “middle class” public high schools in New Jersey had half or more of their students fail to reach the college readiness benchmark, according to a recent report from the Pacific Research Institute. Middle class schools were defined by the study as those who have one-third ...
Key Brown Education Legacy Program Comes up Short
In his 2016 State of the State address, Governor Jerry Brown touted the centerpiece of his education agenda, the Local Control Funding Formula, which simplifies the way in which local school districts are funded. Yet his key legacy program has experienced critical implementation problems and has exposed, once again, the ...
Not As Good As You Think: New Jersey
Read the Study Read the Press Release Many middle-class New Jersey residents think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Newark, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many New Jersey ...
Admission By California’s State Attorney May Blow Union’s Case
During this week’s much-anticipated oral arguments in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association U.S. Supreme Court case, which challenges mandatory teacher-union fees, a critical exchange took place between Justice Antonin Scalia, who is viewed as the swing vote in the case, and the attorney representing the State of California. The ...
Statement from PRI Senior Director of Education Studies Lance Izumi on Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association
January 11, 2015 – The Pacific Research Institute issued the following statement by Senior Education Studies Director Lance Izumi on today’s U.S. Supreme Court oral argument on Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association: “The admission by the attorney for the State of California that the collective bargaining contract negotiated by ...
Freedom, not union, key to teachers’ case
Almost everybody agrees that an employee – public or private – should be judged on his or her individual qualifications and performance. Yet, for many of the nation’s teachers, their freedom to be treated as individuals is barred by a collective bargaining process that treats them as a group. This ...
Rebecca Friedrichs: Challenging Compulsory Union Dues and Standing Up for Freedom
In March 2015, PRI filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) -a major case challenging compulsory union dues that nearly all California teachers are required to pay. The case, spearheaded by the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), was brought by ...
Report: Majority Of Middle-Class Public High Schools In Colorado Underperform
A large majority of “middle class” public high schools in Colorado had half or more of their students fail to reach proficiency on at least one state math or reading exam, according to a recent report from the Pacific Research Institute. Middle class schools were defined by the study as ...
California Public Employees Unions Join Forces To Oppose Charter Growth
Teachers unions in Los Angeles (LA) and other public employee unions formed a coalition to fight the expansion of charter schools in California. The expansion effort, led by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation (BF), aims at more than doubling the number of students attending public charter schools in Los ...
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 ...