School Choice
Blog
Read the latest on teachers' unions
Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions
A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Blog
Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates
Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Blog
Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools
As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior. New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
Blog
Celebrating National School Choice Week
Missing from Newsom’s Ed Budget: Student Outcome Goals and Choice
Newsom proposes $127 billion in total funding for education. Yet, his spending proposals contain no goals on improving student outcomes. For example, Newsom is proposing $13 billion to address learning loss among students and promote learning recovery. There is no question that California’s ineffective education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Commentary
Read about California's latest test scores
California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate
Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
Blog
School choice works
The BASIC Fund: Proof That School Choice Works, Even in California
Across the country, lawmakers in red and red-leaning states have enacted expansive school-choice laws. Arkansas, Iowa, Utah, Florida, Arizona, West Virginia, and North Carolina have adopted universal school-choice programs that allow parents to use government-funded education savings accounts to help fund their education expenses, including private-school tuition. It is often ...
Classroom Ideology
Listen to interview on PRI's school board survey
Listen to Lance Izumi on the Lars Larson Show: Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
TheLarsLarsonShow · Lance Izumi Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
Charter Schools
Read about PRI's new national education survey
New Poll Shows Voters See Room for Improvement in School Boards
The just-released national survey, conducted for the Pacific Research Institute by Echelon Insights, found that 49% of respondents said that their local public school boards were fair/poor/very poor. Just 36% thought their boards were excellent or good. Those who rated their school board’s performance as poor or very poor were ...
Blog
Read about an innovative new California school
New School Year, New Hope for At-Risk Students
I report on a lot of bad news about education in California, which is why it was so invigorating to attend the inaugural opening day of Cristo Rey Orange County, an innovative Catholic school that combines rigorous academics with a unique work-study program that has proved successful for countless students ...
Blog
Read about latest attacks on charter schools
Los Angeles and Oakland Get “F” Grades for Charter Funding Gaps
The University of Arkansas study compared funding for regular public schools and charter schools in 18 cities across the country using 2019-2020 budget data. Historically, regular public schools have been funded more generously than charter schools, which are autonomous publicly funded schools independent of school districts, but that gap is ...
Read the latest on teachers' unions
Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions
A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates
Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools
As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior. New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
Celebrating National School Choice Week
Missing from Newsom’s Ed Budget: Student Outcome Goals and Choice
Newsom proposes $127 billion in total funding for education. Yet, his spending proposals contain no goals on improving student outcomes. For example, Newsom is proposing $13 billion to address learning loss among students and promote learning recovery. There is no question that California’s ineffective education policies during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Read about California's latest test scores
California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate
Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
School choice works
The BASIC Fund: Proof That School Choice Works, Even in California
Across the country, lawmakers in red and red-leaning states have enacted expansive school-choice laws. Arkansas, Iowa, Utah, Florida, Arizona, West Virginia, and North Carolina have adopted universal school-choice programs that allow parents to use government-funded education savings accounts to help fund their education expenses, including private-school tuition. It is often ...
Listen to interview on PRI's school board survey
Listen to Lance Izumi on the Lars Larson Show: Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
TheLarsLarsonShow · Lance Izumi Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
Read about PRI's new national education survey
New Poll Shows Voters See Room for Improvement in School Boards
The just-released national survey, conducted for the Pacific Research Institute by Echelon Insights, found that 49% of respondents said that their local public school boards were fair/poor/very poor. Just 36% thought their boards were excellent or good. Those who rated their school board’s performance as poor or very poor were ...
Read about an innovative new California school
New School Year, New Hope for At-Risk Students
I report on a lot of bad news about education in California, which is why it was so invigorating to attend the inaugural opening day of Cristo Rey Orange County, an innovative Catholic school that combines rigorous academics with a unique work-study program that has proved successful for countless students ...
Read about latest attacks on charter schools
Los Angeles and Oakland Get “F” Grades for Charter Funding Gaps
The University of Arkansas study compared funding for regular public schools and charter schools in 18 cities across the country using 2019-2020 budget data. Historically, regular public schools have been funded more generously than charter schools, which are autonomous publicly funded schools independent of school districts, but that gap is ...
