SAN FRANCISCO -Lance T. Izumi, the Pacific Research Institute’s director of Education Studies, will announce the results of the 2007 California Education Report Card, an evaluation of California’s education system, on Thursday, February 15, 2007, from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m., at the State Capitol Room 1190.

Since the Pacific Research Institute released its first California Education Report Card ten years ago, parts of the education landscape in California have changed dramatically. There have been encouraging reforms, such as the state’s rigorous academic content standards, but the way that tax dollars are spent has not changed, even though spending has risen significantly. Further, inflexible collective bargaining agreements continue to dictate personnel and pay policies, making it more difficult to raise teacher quality. Given the unevenness of its reform efforts, California has had uneven results when it comes to raising student achievement.

In the fourth edition of the California Education Report Card, Mr. Izumi evaluates and “grades” 17 aspects of California’s educational system, including its accountability system, standards tests, graduation rates, courses, teacher quality, and finance system.

###

About PRI
For 28 years, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) has championed freedom, opportunity, and individual responsibility through free-market policy solutions. PRI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. For more information please visit our web site at http://www.pacificresearch.org/