Education
Commentary
Report: Milwaukee Voucher Program Serving Students, Taxpayers Well
A new study shows children receiving vouchers from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program—the nation’s oldest voucher program—are getting at least as good an education as their peers in public schools, at half the cost. “The Comprehensive Longitudinal Evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program,” released by the University of Arkansas’ ...
Thomas Cheplick
June 1, 2009
Commentary
Obama’s Voucher Plan Isn’t Enough
In order to head off a public-relations catastrophe, Barack Obama has spun a partial about-face in his opposition to the school-choice voucher program for low-income students in Washington, DC. The president’s move, however, falls far short of truly saving the program and helping the legions of disadvantaged children in the ...
Lance T. izumi
May 29, 2009
Commentary
Giving Failure a Pass
SACRAMENTO – The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California, spends $10 million a year to “house,” with full pay and benefits, about 160 teachers deemed unsuitable for the classroom, according to “Failure Gets a Pass,” a recent series in the Los Angeles Times. “If I had my ...
Evelyn B. Stacey
May 27, 2009
Commentary
Options are the Best “Alternative” Education Policy for Parents
(This post was co-authored by Evelyn B. Stacey, Education Studies Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, California. Located about an hour north of San Francisco, Santa Rosa is a gateway city to California’s renowned Wine Country in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. This “jewel of Northern California” ...
Vicki E. Murray
May 22, 2009
Commentary
Capistrano Unified Recall Leader Weighs In On Film, Is Mum About Excluded Journalist
As if to demonstrate why anyone would be interested in a movie about school districts, Capistrano Unified delivered some of its trademark drama at last night’s premier of Not As Good As You Think (which we previewed here). Capistrano Dispatch editor Jonathan Volzke apparently wasn’t invited to the event — ...
Spencer Kornhaber
May 21, 2009
Commentary
One Last Hope for DC Voucher Program
In early May, President Obama presented a revised 2010 budget that included $12.2 million for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. The proposal represented a “compromise” solution to DC’s embattled voucher program, but is hardly a gain for low-income students and their parents. The DC voucher plan currently awards up to ...
Rachel Chaney
May 20, 2009
Commentary
Film: Capistrano district poster child for ‘broken’ school system
New documentary showcases the problems of one O.C. school district. The Capistrano Unified School District is portrayed in a new, 49-minute documentary film as a case study in what is wrong with the American public school system and how politics, misplaced priorities and lack of oversight can derail what should ...
Scott Martindale
May 20, 2009
Commentary
Washington D.C. Premiere of “Not As Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School”
The Washington DC Premiere of “Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School” at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Auditorium. PRI’s Lance T. Izumi, Executive Producer and Author, and Director Nick Tucker answer questions in a panel discussion. Our national conversation about education reform often focuses ...
Pacific Research Institute
May 19, 2009
Education
CA School Finance Center mentioned on CA State Senator Huff Capital Weekly Report
California State Senator Bob Huff mentioned the California School Finance Center database developed by PRI and Just for the Kids in his weekly message to constituents. Senator Huff comments on legislative activities for the Week of May 11th. The California School Finance Center database developed by PRI and Just for ...
Pacific Research Institute
May 15, 2009
Commentary
Does Universal Preschool Improve Learning? Lessons from Georgia and Oklahoma
Campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama pledged to help states implement taxpayer-funded universal preschool–preschool for all.[1] The President’s early education plan, for which he has advocated spending up to $10 billion annually in federal expenditures, encourages states to provide preschool for every child.[2] As President, Obama reinforced his ...
Lindsey Burke
May 14, 2009
Report: Milwaukee Voucher Program Serving Students, Taxpayers Well
A new study shows children receiving vouchers from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program—the nation’s oldest voucher program—are getting at least as good an education as their peers in public schools, at half the cost. “The Comprehensive Longitudinal Evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program,” released by the University of Arkansas’ ...
Obama’s Voucher Plan Isn’t Enough
In order to head off a public-relations catastrophe, Barack Obama has spun a partial about-face in his opposition to the school-choice voucher program for low-income students in Washington, DC. The president’s move, however, falls far short of truly saving the program and helping the legions of disadvantaged children in the ...
Giving Failure a Pass
SACRAMENTO – The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California, spends $10 million a year to “house,” with full pay and benefits, about 160 teachers deemed unsuitable for the classroom, according to “Failure Gets a Pass,” a recent series in the Los Angeles Times. “If I had my ...
Options are the Best “Alternative” Education Policy for Parents
(This post was co-authored by Evelyn B. Stacey, Education Studies Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, California. Located about an hour north of San Francisco, Santa Rosa is a gateway city to California’s renowned Wine Country in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. This “jewel of Northern California” ...
Capistrano Unified Recall Leader Weighs In On Film, Is Mum About Excluded Journalist
As if to demonstrate why anyone would be interested in a movie about school districts, Capistrano Unified delivered some of its trademark drama at last night’s premier of Not As Good As You Think (which we previewed here). Capistrano Dispatch editor Jonathan Volzke apparently wasn’t invited to the event — ...
One Last Hope for DC Voucher Program
In early May, President Obama presented a revised 2010 budget that included $12.2 million for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. The proposal represented a “compromise” solution to DC’s embattled voucher program, but is hardly a gain for low-income students and their parents. The DC voucher plan currently awards up to ...
Film: Capistrano district poster child for ‘broken’ school system
New documentary showcases the problems of one O.C. school district. The Capistrano Unified School District is portrayed in a new, 49-minute documentary film as a case study in what is wrong with the American public school system and how politics, misplaced priorities and lack of oversight can derail what should ...
Washington D.C. Premiere of “Not As Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School”
The Washington DC Premiere of “Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School” at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Auditorium. PRI’s Lance T. Izumi, Executive Producer and Author, and Director Nick Tucker answer questions in a panel discussion. Our national conversation about education reform often focuses ...
CA School Finance Center mentioned on CA State Senator Huff Capital Weekly Report
California State Senator Bob Huff mentioned the California School Finance Center database developed by PRI and Just for the Kids in his weekly message to constituents. Senator Huff comments on legislative activities for the Week of May 11th. The California School Finance Center database developed by PRI and Just for ...
Does Universal Preschool Improve Learning? Lessons from Georgia and Oklahoma
Campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama pledged to help states implement taxpayer-funded universal preschool–preschool for all.[1] The President’s early education plan, for which he has advocated spending up to $10 billion annually in federal expenditures, encourages states to provide preschool for every child.[2] As President, Obama reinforced his ...