Public Schools
Business & Economics
More ‘fixes’ won’t fix California
It’s easy to conclude that California may become, as former state librarian Kevin Starr put it, a “failed state.” It’s just too big, unruly and diverse to be effectively governed, commentators frequently say. SACRAMENTO – It’s easy to conclude that California may become, as former state librarian Kevin Starr put ...
Education
New Study Finds GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for CA Military Children
New policy brief finds that providing military families with school vouchers to allow parents to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs would raise educational achievement and save the state money. Sacramento— Today, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a California-based public policy think tank, released a policy brief on ...
Commentary
GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for California Military Children
GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for California Military Children By Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D., associate director of Education Studies Military personnel are in the service of their country more so than any federal bureaucrat or state regulator. It is entirely reasonable that military parents, who are not allowed ...
Commentary
School Finance Center database shows high-achieving school districts can withstand budget constraints
School Finance Center database shows high-achieving school districts can withstand budget constraints —Many school districts deliver a greater ROI in student achievement for the funding they receive— Sacramento—Today the Pacific Research Institute and Educational Results Partnership launched the updated California School Finance Center database, online at www.schoolfinancecenter.org. This online resource ...
Commentary
Helping Our Troops and Their Families
Children with special needs whose parents are in the Armed Services may soon be eligible for academic opportunity scholarships. Unfortunately, the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) is mounting a militant campaign against opportunities for those children. The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2011 (S. ...
Business & Economics
State budget mess a comedy, or tragedy?
SACRAMENTO – As entertainment goes, the final regular-season episode of the Budget Show in the Capitol was shoddy. The actors – the Assembly members and senators – are B-rate. The speeches, despite their strained attempts to sound Kennedy-esque, were pretentious. Those of us in the audience sometimes rolled our eyes ...
Commentary
Educating illegal immigrants is costly
As the debate on illegal immigration rages in Washington and state capitals, it’s troubling to see both sides rely on emotional rhetoric to the detriment of facts. The impact of illegal immigration on public education is a case in point. No one can deny that increasing numbers of children of ...
Business & Economics
Democrats picking on oil companies
SACRAMENTO – Legislators are more than six weeks past the constitutional deadline for passing a state budget, yet the state’s majority Democrats last week weren’t even holding budget hearings. Why bother? The state is $19 billion in the red, but the two sides aren’t even close to coming to terms. ...
Commentary
California’s Aspiring Education Bosses Face Reform Issues
California’s Aspiring Education Bosses Face Reform Issues By Evelyn B. Stacey, policy fellow in Education Studies Californian is now a finalist in the federal Race to the Top process. That has forced candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction to confront key reform issues. “The idea we can’t hold people ...
Commentary
How California can improve its plunging graduation rates
The average national high school graduation rate, from 1997 to 2007, rose 3.1 percentage points to 68.8 percent, according to a recent report from Education Week. California’s graduation rate, meanwhile, dropped 4.7 percentage points to 62.7 percent. Only Nebraska and Nevada posted worse declines, and the problem is not limited ...
More ‘fixes’ won’t fix California
It’s easy to conclude that California may become, as former state librarian Kevin Starr put it, a “failed state.” It’s just too big, unruly and diverse to be effectively governed, commentators frequently say. SACRAMENTO – It’s easy to conclude that California may become, as former state librarian Kevin Starr put ...
New Study Finds GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for CA Military Children
New policy brief finds that providing military families with school vouchers to allow parents to choose schools that best fit their children’s needs would raise educational achievement and save the state money. Sacramento— Today, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a California-based public policy think tank, released a policy brief on ...
GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for California Military Children
GI Junior Scholarships Would Expand Education Options for California Military Children By Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D., associate director of Education Studies Military personnel are in the service of their country more so than any federal bureaucrat or state regulator. It is entirely reasonable that military parents, who are not allowed ...
School Finance Center database shows high-achieving school districts can withstand budget constraints
School Finance Center database shows high-achieving school districts can withstand budget constraints —Many school districts deliver a greater ROI in student achievement for the funding they receive— Sacramento—Today the Pacific Research Institute and Educational Results Partnership launched the updated California School Finance Center database, online at www.schoolfinancecenter.org. This online resource ...
Helping Our Troops and Their Families
Children with special needs whose parents are in the Armed Services may soon be eligible for academic opportunity scholarships. Unfortunately, the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) is mounting a militant campaign against opportunities for those children. The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2011 (S. ...
State budget mess a comedy, or tragedy?
SACRAMENTO – As entertainment goes, the final regular-season episode of the Budget Show in the Capitol was shoddy. The actors – the Assembly members and senators – are B-rate. The speeches, despite their strained attempts to sound Kennedy-esque, were pretentious. Those of us in the audience sometimes rolled our eyes ...
Educating illegal immigrants is costly
As the debate on illegal immigration rages in Washington and state capitals, it’s troubling to see both sides rely on emotional rhetoric to the detriment of facts. The impact of illegal immigration on public education is a case in point. No one can deny that increasing numbers of children of ...
Democrats picking on oil companies
SACRAMENTO – Legislators are more than six weeks past the constitutional deadline for passing a state budget, yet the state’s majority Democrats last week weren’t even holding budget hearings. Why bother? The state is $19 billion in the red, but the two sides aren’t even close to coming to terms. ...
California’s Aspiring Education Bosses Face Reform Issues
California’s Aspiring Education Bosses Face Reform Issues By Evelyn B. Stacey, policy fellow in Education Studies Californian is now a finalist in the federal Race to the Top process. That has forced candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction to confront key reform issues. “The idea we can’t hold people ...
How California can improve its plunging graduation rates
The average national high school graduation rate, from 1997 to 2007, rose 3.1 percentage points to 68.8 percent, according to a recent report from Education Week. California’s graduation rate, meanwhile, dropped 4.7 percentage points to 62.7 percent. Only Nebraska and Nevada posted worse declines, and the problem is not limited ...
