Education

Commentary

Florida Low-Income and Minority Students Outperform Average California Students

San Francisco—The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released a report showing that a disadvantaged socio-economic background does not necessarily consign students to poor academic performance. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida ...
Commentary

Why is The Budget Always Late?

Systemic Problems Cause Budget Woes Longtime California residents may have noticed a trend in state politics: The California State Budget is almost never passed by the constitutionally-mandated deadline, July 1. This year is no different. In fact, the state budget hasn’t been passed on time for three years, and the ...
Education

Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps

The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released a report showing that a disadvantaged socio-economic background does not necessarily consign students to poor academic performance. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida consistently ...
Commentary

KGO NewsTalk Radio interview with Lance Izumi: English Immersion vs Bilingual Education in California

Ron Owens Show, KGO NewsTalk Radio 810 AM, August 4, 2008 Lance Izumi, Senior Fellow in California Studies and Education for Pacific Research Institute discusses immersion versus bilingual teaching for non-English speaking students. This interview occurred at 10:00 AM on the Ron Owens show.
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 ...
Business & Economics

Impact – July 2008

PRI Ideas in Action – July 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions.
Commentary

Demography Is Not Destiny: Florida Schools California

Today California ranks 48th in basic reading and math skills. A challenging student population is a popular scapegoat, especially Hispanic students.” By this “logic,” Hispanic populations are growing rapidly, Hispanic students under-perform, therefore southwestern states are doomed. But states like Florida prove demography is not destiny. “A decade ago, Florida ...
Commentary

Self-inflicted budget wounds

For one, state has billions in land it won’t sell Even on the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tax-and-spend, expansive terms, the state need not be facing a $15 billion budget deficit. Because state government hoards hundreds of billions of dollars in real estate, it has missed a grand opportunity ...
Commentary

Schools turning out defective products

When a new automobile – either purchased or leased – is so riddled with problems that even the manufacturer cannot fix it within 18 months – a reasonable time period, the vehicle is declared a lemon in California under the Tanner Consumer Protection Act, California Civil Code 1793.22 (2004). Unfortunately, ...
Commentary

Remedial education a big cost for state’s colleges

Remedial education classes for students enrolling in the state’s public colleges and universities are costing California as much as $14 billion a year, according to a report from the Pacific Research Institute. That figure was reached after the authors estimated several costs, including the $274 million the colleges spend providing ...
Commentary

Florida Low-Income and Minority Students Outperform Average California Students

San Francisco—The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released a report showing that a disadvantaged socio-economic background does not necessarily consign students to poor academic performance. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida ...
Commentary

Why is The Budget Always Late?

Systemic Problems Cause Budget Woes Longtime California residents may have noticed a trend in state politics: The California State Budget is almost never passed by the constitutionally-mandated deadline, July 1. This year is no different. In fact, the state budget hasn’t been passed on time for three years, and the ...
Education

Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps

The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released a report showing that a disadvantaged socio-economic background does not necessarily consign students to poor academic performance. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida consistently ...
Commentary

KGO NewsTalk Radio interview with Lance Izumi: English Immersion vs Bilingual Education in California

Ron Owens Show, KGO NewsTalk Radio 810 AM, August 4, 2008 Lance Izumi, Senior Fellow in California Studies and Education for Pacific Research Institute discusses immersion versus bilingual teaching for non-English speaking students. This interview occurred at 10:00 AM on the Ron Owens show.
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 ...
Business & Economics

Impact – July 2008

PRI Ideas in Action – July 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions.
Commentary

Demography Is Not Destiny: Florida Schools California

Today California ranks 48th in basic reading and math skills. A challenging student population is a popular scapegoat, especially Hispanic students.” By this “logic,” Hispanic populations are growing rapidly, Hispanic students under-perform, therefore southwestern states are doomed. But states like Florida prove demography is not destiny. “A decade ago, Florida ...
Commentary

Self-inflicted budget wounds

For one, state has billions in land it won’t sell Even on the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tax-and-spend, expansive terms, the state need not be facing a $15 billion budget deficit. Because state government hoards hundreds of billions of dollars in real estate, it has missed a grand opportunity ...
Commentary

Schools turning out defective products

When a new automobile – either purchased or leased – is so riddled with problems that even the manufacturer cannot fix it within 18 months – a reasonable time period, the vehicle is declared a lemon in California under the Tanner Consumer Protection Act, California Civil Code 1793.22 (2004). Unfortunately, ...
Commentary

Remedial education a big cost for state’s colleges

Remedial education classes for students enrolling in the state’s public colleges and universities are costing California as much as $14 billion a year, according to a report from the Pacific Research Institute. That figure was reached after the authors estimated several costs, including the $274 million the colleges spend providing ...
Scroll to Top