Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School - DVD
By: Rowena Itchon, Lance T. Izumi, J.D., Sally C. Pipes
6.5.2009

Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School shatters the myth that “good” schools are found in “nice” neighborhoods. Using available data on school performance and interviews with parents, students, principals, and school reformers, Not as Good as You Think confirms every parent’s silent fear: that their financial sacrifice and investment in an expensive home in a “good” school district is not yielding the achievement results needed to get their kids into good colleges and good jobs.

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California School Finance Center
This database compiles publicly-available information on public school revenue, achievement, and student demographic data from a dozen California Department of Education sources to present the most complete picture possible of California public school funding so that parents, teachers, school board members, and policy makers can more readily access the information they need to make informed decisions about education policies affecting millions of school children each year. The goal is to provide a tool that helps school districts become more efficient in their quest to raise student academic achievement.

A 10th-Anniversary Retrospective on Proposition 227 and the “End” of Bilingual Education Read more
 

Right now, many middle-class parents complacently believe that things are great in their neighborhood public schools. Is that belief largely true or an illusion? If the latter, then bold action on the part of middle-class parents is overdue.

Upscale Home Guide

Research shows that state school accountability systems have a positive impact on student achievement, but only when states attach significant consequences to the performance or non-performance of schools. California’s school accountability system, unfortunately, is severely deficient in this crucial area of consequences.

Charter schools, unlike traditional public schools, must demonstrate that they can meet the bottom line – student performance. To reach this goal, they must adopt practices that are proven to work. As a result, they are making tremendous strides in boosting student achievement, often in low-income communities where most of the other district schools are failing. Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools shares stories from successful charter schools, and discusses how these schools can be models for the nation.

To Serve and Educate: A Handbook for School Board Members
By: Lance T. Izumi, J.D., Xiaochin Yan
5.1.2005

Given the importance of education to the success of California’s children and economy, there are few more noble undertakings than service on a local school board. The decisions made by school board members on issues ranging from budget and personnel matters to curriculum and discipline policies will often determine the success or failure of students. These issues and policies, however, are often complicated and board members face difficult decisions.

Newly elected school board members bring freshness and enthusiasm to their roles, but often arrive unfamiliar with many of the issues they will have to confront. From understanding how best to negotiate with unions, to realizing the intricacies of state and local finance, to maneuvering the district bureaucracy, the average layperson often arrives ill prepared. Yet, by following a few simple guidelines, it is possible for new school board members to hit the ground running and not be tripped up by a lack of knowledge and experience.

No Magic Bullet: Top Ten Myths About the Benefits of Government-Run Universal Preschool

By: Lance T. Izumi, J.D., Xiaochin Claire Yan
5.1.2006

A majority of California’s K-12 students are not proficient in English and math, roughly a third of high-school students fail to graduate, and up to 80 percent of incoming freshmen at a number of state university campuses need remedial instruction. These dismal realities confirm that California’s public education system is broken and it isn’t surprising that some seek a magic bullet to fix it.

In 1997 and 2000, the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) issued the first and second editions of its California Index of Leading Education Indicators. Both editions gathered and presented data on education topics ranging from student test scores to teacher quality to government education spending and provided fresh interpretations of those data. Since 2000, there have been many new developments in education in California.