Education
Commentary
Finding balance not easy
Nebraska’s kindergarten teachers are sounding the alarm about the push for rigorous academic instruction in their classrooms, calling instead for more playtime that scientists say stimulates young brains. Teachers and children feel intense pressure to perform and meet increasing standards and expectations, according to a new draft report that takes ...
Commentary
The “Obama Effect:” A Help or More Hot Air for D.C. Schoolchildren?
Specifically, the study found that the “Obama effect” can move public opinion polls by 11 to 13 percentage points on issues such as charter schools and merit pay for teachers-in spite of union opposition. Yet when “informed of the President’s opposition to school vouchers,” public support dropped 12 percentage points. ...
Business & Economics
How unions took $4 million from cash-strapped UC
Kevin Dayton of the Associated Builders and Contractors of California hunted down the e-mails chronicling the pressure put on University of California President Mark Yudof to provide taxpayer funds for a bogus labor “think tank” after Arnold line-item-vetoed the funding. Here’s part of his account: As the state’s budget crisis ...
Commentary
LAUSD Board Moves to Ease Removal of Bad Teachers
The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District has passed a resolution to ease restrictions on firing unprofessional teachers, a move long in the making. Passed by a 4-3 vote on June 9, the resolution sets the stage for changes to state law to make such dismissals easier. In ...
Business & Economics
Policy Alerts
Policy Alert This publication, sent via email or fax, highlights PRI’s latest releases, media coverage, and impact on public policy in California and across the nation. Learn how PRI is affecting California and the Nation. > Sign Up> Unsubscribe May 5, 2010 April 29, 2010 April 22, 2010 April 15, ...
Commentary
Texas Expands Charter Authorization Options
Texas has taken steps to enhance the quality and quantity of charter schools by expanding the involvement of colleges as an authorizing force. State Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Starr County) and state Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Dallas) cosponsored House Bill 1423, signed by the governor into law on June 19 and effective ...
Commentary
Failing the International Test
Freedom Politics, August 31, 2009 American students lag behind most of their international counterparts in math achievement, according to recent analysis from the U.S. Department of Education. In the face of this bad news, however, state and federal policymakers continue to push government-centered “solutions” destined to make matters worse. According ...
California
Schwarzenegger Sets Trap for Obama’s “Race to the Top” Education Initiative
In the 1985 action film, Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a commando who uses a little humor when taking revenge on the bad guys, “Remember when I said I’d kill you last… I lied!” Though this is a forgettable little line, President Obama should pay attention to it because ...
Business & Economics
UC system shouldn’t have to fund labor institute
Under duress from California labor unions and union-backed politicians, the University of California system is funding a labor institute at the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses that trains union organizers and produces biased studies to support the union political agenda. The story of why UC is funding this program at ...
Commentary
Star Data Dump: How is This Useful to Parents?
This week the California Standardized Test results have been released, and according to the California Department of Education, “far too many students are not meeting proficiency. They are making gains but the [achievement] gap remains.” The STAR testing program is California’s state assessment required by the No Child Left Behind ...
Finding balance not easy
Nebraska’s kindergarten teachers are sounding the alarm about the push for rigorous academic instruction in their classrooms, calling instead for more playtime that scientists say stimulates young brains. Teachers and children feel intense pressure to perform and meet increasing standards and expectations, according to a new draft report that takes ...
The “Obama Effect:” A Help or More Hot Air for D.C. Schoolchildren?
Specifically, the study found that the “Obama effect” can move public opinion polls by 11 to 13 percentage points on issues such as charter schools and merit pay for teachers-in spite of union opposition. Yet when “informed of the President’s opposition to school vouchers,” public support dropped 12 percentage points. ...
How unions took $4 million from cash-strapped UC
Kevin Dayton of the Associated Builders and Contractors of California hunted down the e-mails chronicling the pressure put on University of California President Mark Yudof to provide taxpayer funds for a bogus labor “think tank” after Arnold line-item-vetoed the funding. Here’s part of his account: As the state’s budget crisis ...
LAUSD Board Moves to Ease Removal of Bad Teachers
The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District has passed a resolution to ease restrictions on firing unprofessional teachers, a move long in the making. Passed by a 4-3 vote on June 9, the resolution sets the stage for changes to state law to make such dismissals easier. In ...
Policy Alerts
Policy Alert This publication, sent via email or fax, highlights PRI’s latest releases, media coverage, and impact on public policy in California and across the nation. Learn how PRI is affecting California and the Nation. > Sign Up> Unsubscribe May 5, 2010 April 29, 2010 April 22, 2010 April 15, ...
Texas Expands Charter Authorization Options
Texas has taken steps to enhance the quality and quantity of charter schools by expanding the involvement of colleges as an authorizing force. State Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Starr County) and state Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Dallas) cosponsored House Bill 1423, signed by the governor into law on June 19 and effective ...
Failing the International Test
Freedom Politics, August 31, 2009 American students lag behind most of their international counterparts in math achievement, according to recent analysis from the U.S. Department of Education. In the face of this bad news, however, state and federal policymakers continue to push government-centered “solutions” destined to make matters worse. According ...
Schwarzenegger Sets Trap for Obama’s “Race to the Top” Education Initiative
In the 1985 action film, Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a commando who uses a little humor when taking revenge on the bad guys, “Remember when I said I’d kill you last… I lied!” Though this is a forgettable little line, President Obama should pay attention to it because ...
UC system shouldn’t have to fund labor institute
Under duress from California labor unions and union-backed politicians, the University of California system is funding a labor institute at the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses that trains union organizers and produces biased studies to support the union political agenda. The story of why UC is funding this program at ...
Star Data Dump: How is This Useful to Parents?
This week the California Standardized Test results have been released, and according to the California Department of Education, “far too many students are not meeting proficiency. They are making gains but the [achievement] gap remains.” The STAR testing program is California’s state assessment required by the No Child Left Behind ...
