http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/rss/edu.xmlEducationWed, 20 Apr 2011 16:00:00 ESTwww.eResources.com (Generator)eResourcessupport@eresources.com60http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.814/blog_detail.aspIf you had the chance to listen to Lance Izumi on the Ron Williams Show (WCIT-940am), here are more details on his recent book, Short-Circuited, mentioned on the program.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.814/blog_detail.asp#4-20-2011Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5949/pub_detail.aspToday the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act. Last month a strong bi-partisan coalition in Congress introduced the act reauthorizing the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which bolsters a burgeoning movement for education choice nationwide. Powerful opponents of school choice, unfortunately, don& rsquo;t want embattled students in the nation& rsquo;s capital to SOAR.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5949/pub_detail.asp#3-30-2011Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5917/pub_detail.aspLast month a strong bi-partisan coalition in Congress introduced the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act. The program would reauthorize the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program and adds to a burgeoning movement for education choice across the country.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5917/pub_detail.asp#2-23-2011Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5886/pub_detail.aspGovernment red tape and inertia, plus union opposition, have prevented widespread student access to K-12 online learning according to the new book now available on amazon.com!Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5886/pub_detail.asp#2-3-2011Thu, 3 Feb 2011 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5889/pub_detail.aspNational School Choice Week kicks off on January 23, and California should be leading the country in student-centered, parent-driven reform. In the Golden State, unfortunately, system-centered education prevails, and parents empowered to choose their children& rsquo;s schools are the exception, not the rule.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5889/pub_detail.asp#1-18-2011Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5861/pub_detail.aspDuring this season of giving, imagine if California taxpayers could give the gift of a better education to thousands& mdash;even tens of thousands& mdash;of deserving children.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5861/pub_detail.asp#12-15-2010Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.780/blog_detail.asp California Governor-elect Jerry Brown and incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson want to improve education in the Golden State. They should begin by asking why Florida, though demographically similar to California, continues to trounce the state in student achievement. According to a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, low-income and minority students continue to propel Florida& #39;s gains while California student performance lags near the bottom.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.780/blog_detail.asp#12-9-2010Thu, 9 Dec 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.783/blog_detail.asp California Governor-elect Jerry Brown and incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson want to improve education in the Golden State. They should begin by asking why Florida, though demographically similar to California, continues to trounce the state in student achievement. According to a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, low-income and minority students continue to propel Florida& #39;s gains while California student performance lags near the bottom.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.783/blog_detail.asp#12-9-2010Thu, 9 Dec 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5811/pub_detail.aspCalifornia& rsquo;s new state education boss, Tom Torlakson, has his work cut out for him. He might start by explaining to parents why Florida, a demographically similar state, continues to outpace California in student achievement. On that score the Golden State still sputters around the bottom of national rankings.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5811/pub_detail.asp#11-10-2010Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.111/detail.aspThe seminar will address critical topics such as the continuing crisis in the state budget, understanding school finance and academic achievement, education technology, and union negotiations.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.111/detail.asp#10-25-2010Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5723/pub_detail.aspWaiting for Superman, touted by Oprah, Bill Gates and other celebrities, is now playing California theatres. Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim directed the film, best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Several back stories, and the star, will not be apparent on the big screen.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5723/pub_detail.asp#10-6-2010Wed, 6 Oct 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5774/pub_detail.aspNew policy brief finds that providing military families with school vouchers to allow parents to choose schools that best fit their children& rsquo;s needs would raise educational achievement and save the state money.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5774/pub_detail.asp#9-21-2010Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5694/pub_detail.aspMilitary 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 to choose the conflicts in which they participate, should command more choice over the education of their children, who did not choose the military life. This does not constitute a plea for special privilege.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5694/pub_detail.asp#9-15-2010Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5683/pub_detail.aspBetween 2001 and 2007, while much of this spending was going on, enrollment fell six percent in the LAUSD. During that time, however, LAUSD administrators increased by nearly 20 percent. In 2009, Lance Izumi has also noted, the LAUSD paid $200 million to 1,700 employees no longer on the job.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5683/pub_detail.asp#9-8-2010Wed, 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5625/pub_detail.aspAdopting the final draft of proposed national education standards in English language arts (ELA) would result in a significant weakening of the intellectual demands placed on Massachusetts and California students in language and literature, according to a review published jointly by the Pacific Research Institute and Pioneer Institute.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5625/pub_detail.asp#7-19-2010Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5617/pub_detail.aspThe 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& rsquo;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 to California high-schoolers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5617/pub_detail.asp#7-13-2010Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.723/blog_detail.aspJoseph Overton, former senior vice president at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, developed the Overton Window as a model to explain public policy change.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.723/blog_detail.asp#6-21-2010Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5564/pub_detail.aspA new report demonstrates that fundamental flaws within the Common Core State Standards Initiative& rsquo;s push for national academic standards, especially the weak definition of college and career readiness, will result in sub-standard national assessments.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5564/pub_detail.asp#5-20-2010Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.722/blog_detail.aspIn a clever American Spectator column, Daniel Oliver takes aim at Congress, the European Union, the United Nations, in defense of equal educational opportunity for all.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.722/blog_detail.asp#5-10-2010Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5541/pub_detail.aspStudents living outside the illustrious 90210 zip code have been allowed to attend Beverly Hills Unified schools through an & ldquo;opportunity permits& rdquo; program. That opportunity came to an abrupt end in January when the Beverly Hills school board voted to end the program& mdash;kicking out a full 10 percent of their students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5541/pub_detail.asp#5-5-2010Wed, 5 May 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5501/pub_detail.aspBlack, Hispanic, and low-income Florida fourth graders now outperform all California fourth graders in reading, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress results released last month by the U.S. Department of Education.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5501/pub_detail.asp#4-7-2010Wed, 7 Apr 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5493/pub_detail.aspThis study provides a detailed comparison of the March draft standards being proposed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) and standards currently in place in states recognized to have high standards& mdash;California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5493/pub_detail.asp#4-2-2010Fri, 2 Apr 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5472/pub_detail.aspLast week the Obama administration released changes to No Child Left Behind, now known as Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5472/pub_detail.asp#3-24-2010Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.711/blog_detail.aspThe Cleveland Metropolitan School District has a $53 million deficit, nearly three out of four of its schools are on academic emergency or & quot;watch,& quot; and barely half (54 percent) of its high school students graduate according to a just-released analysis by the Reason Foundation& #39;s Lisa Snell.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.711/blog_detail.asp#3-17-2010Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.712/blog_detail.aspDelegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) began planning the death of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program nearly two years ago, proclaiming in June 2008, & quot;I can tell you that the Democratic Congress is not about to extend this program.& quot; A vote to extend and expand the program could occur as early as today, thanks to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and his bi-partisan coalition of Senators. Now Norton is trying to re-write history.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.712/blog_detail.asp#3-17-2010Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5460/pub_detail.aspCalifornia has failed to land a federal Race to the Top grant but the grant process proved enlightening on several key fronts.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5460/pub_detail.asp#3-17-2010Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5446/pub_detail.aspLast week, in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama laid out plans for improving America’s dropout rate.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5446/pub_detail.asp#3-10-2010_4:00:00_AMWed, 10 Mar 2010 04:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5443/pub_detail.aspFor the first time ever, women outnumber men at all levels of higher education. More women than men apply, enroll, and graduate with bachelor's and advanced degrees. The response from feminist groups has been drearily predictable.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5443/pub_detail.asp#3-5-2010_4:00:00_AMFri, 5 Mar 2010 04:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.706/blog_detail.aspThe Alliance for School Choice has just released its 2009-2010 edition of the School Choice Yearbook.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.706/blog_detail.asp#3-2-2010Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.702/blog_detail.aspThankfully, not all local public-schooling officials are like the ones o the Los Angeles Board of Education. In fact, a growing number local officials and parents seem to have had enough of special-interests shortchanging students.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.702/blog_detail.asp#2-27-2010Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.701/blog_detail.aspForget sticking around for senior prom and the homecoming dance. There is a growing national trend of letting students graduate high school early and move on to college sooner.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.701/blog_detail.asp#2-26-2010Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.703/blog_detail.aspPresident Obama’s proposal Monday to link Title I funding to adoption of education standards has the education world abuzz.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.703/blog_detail.asp#2-26-2010Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.704/blog_detail.aspBOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO – A day after President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan laid out an aggressive plan to expand federal control over K-12 academic standards at the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meetings, a new report criticizes the national standards process as “opaque” and the federal push harmful not only to states with existing high standards but to all states that want its students adequately prepared for authentic college level work.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.704/blog_detail.asp#2-24-2010Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.705/blog_detail.aspA day after President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan laid out an aggressive plan to expand federal control over K-12 academic standards at the National Governors Association (NGA) a new report finds the national standards process "opaque" and could jeopardize states such with existing high standards.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.705/blog_detail.asp#2-24-2010Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5408/pub_detail.aspCalifornia would do well to emulate the 20-year-old Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), the country’s first publicly-funded voucher program.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5408/pub_detail.asp#2-24-2010Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5406/pub_detail.aspThe case for national standards rests on more than the need to equalize academic expectations for all students by remedying the uneven and often deplorable quality of most state standards and tests.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5406/pub_detail.asp#2-23-2010Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.698/blog_detail.aspMore millionaires once called New Jersey home, but times have changed. A new study finds the Garden State turned a $98 billion net influx in household wealth into a net outflow of $70 billion over the past decade-what study authors call a "a near total reversal of the flow." (See p. 2)Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.698/blog_detail.asp#2-16-2010Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.699/blog_detail.aspThe Washington Post again takes partisan opponents of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to task. This time it's columnist George Will who documents the hypocrisy, writing:Most Democrats favor a "public option" -- a government health insurance program. They say there is insufficient competition among the 1,300 private providers of insurance, so people should not be dependent on those insurers. But tuition vouchers redeemable at private as well as public schools are a "private option" providing minimal competition with public schools. Government, with 89 percent of the pupils, dominates education grades K through 12. So, do Democrats favor vouchers to reduce Americans' dependence on government education? Of course not.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.699/blog_detail.asp#2-16-2010Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.697/blog_detail.aspStudents using Milwaukee Parental Choice Program vouchers are more likely to graduate from high school, according to a recent expert analysis. But in case you missed it, see what some younger experts have to say about their Milwaukee private school.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.697/blog_detail.asp#2-11-2010Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5381/pub_detail.aspLast week researchers at UCLA’s Civil Rights Project released Choice Without Equity: Charter School Segregation and the Need for Civil Rights Standards.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5381/pub_detail.asp#2-10-2010_4:00:00_AMWed, 10 Feb 2010 04:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.700/blog_detail.aspOn Monday, President Obama made it clear in his budget that he plans to kill the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program-but not if Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have anything to say about it.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.700/blog_detail.asp#2-4-2010Thu, 4 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.696/blog_detail.aspPresident Obama told the nation last week, "Like any cash-strapped family" his administration would "work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't." (See pp. 9-10). This week the president presented his budget. At $3.8 trillion, it is considered "one of the greatest spend-while-you-can documents in American history." Even the New York Times admitted to feeling "sticker shock."Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.696/blog_detail.asp#2-3-2010Wed, 3 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.693/blog_detail.asp"The idea here is simple: instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success." That's what President Obama promised in his State of the Union last week. Sounds great-except we've heard that one before. It's the same promise the president made last year in his first major education address-rewarding whatever works. Of course, the following day he signed the omnibus spending bill effectively killing the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which was deemed a success by his own education department and cost a fraction of what DC public schools do, $6,600 versus more than $28,000 per student.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.693/blog_detail.asp#2-1-2010Mon, 1 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.694/blog_detail.aspThe Pelican State holds critical lessons for adopting student vouchers, according to a new analysis by Louisiana native and Harvard researcher Michael Henderson. This is welcome news since in recent years similar programs have been scaled back or eliminated in Washington, DC, Utah, Arizona, and Florida.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.694/blog_detail.asp#2-1-2010Mon, 1 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.695/blog_detail.aspPolitical commentators are still theorizing about the full implications of Sen. Scott Brown's (R-MA) Senate election-particularly in light of the gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey last November (see here, here, and here, for instance). Thus far they have focused primarily on the health-care debate; however, these elections underscore the importance of putting parents-not politicians-in charge of children's education.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.695/blog_detail.asp#2-1-2010Mon, 1 Feb 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.692/blog_detail.aspOn the heels of President Obama's pledge to freeze non-defense discretionary spending comes even more evidence that resources for schooling don't equal reform of schooling. Quality time with great teachers, not quantity time with ineffective ones, is what distinguishes economic winners and losers, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Compared to their peers in 29 other countries, American 15-year olds place 21st in science literacy (see p. 6), and 25th in math literacy (see p. 12) according to the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.692/blog_detail.asp#1-27-2010Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5356/pub_detail.aspYesterday California submitted its application for Race To The Top funds to the U.S. Department of Education. The state recently passed two pieces of legislation to vie for the funds, and by some accounts the process has already been beneficial.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5356/pub_detail.asp#1-20-2010Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5341/pub_detail.aspLast week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two education bills that will make California more competitive for federal “Race to the Top” (RTTT) grants. The bills endured months of wrangling in the legislature and reformers remain concerned that the measures will not translate into the sweeping changes needed to improve California’s broken education system.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5341/pub_detail.asp#1-13-2010Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.672/blog_detail.aspIn today's Wall Street Journal Clark S. Judge offers his top 10 tips for a winning political strategy urging readers to, "Take a lesson from Ronald Reagan and emphasize that your programs are based on consistent principles leading to a hopeful future for all Americans." One area failing this litmus test is the Department of Education-and we have even more reason today than 20 years ago to ponder whether Big ED has delivered on its promises. We'll recall that in 1980 Ronald Reagan asked voters, "Are you better off than you were fours years ago?" Modern readers should ask whether today's students will be as well educated as previous generations. Evidence is not encouraging.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.672/blog_detail.asp#1-11-2010Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5298/pub_detail.aspThe holiday season finds Sacramento legislators scrambling for $700 million in Race to the Top money from the federal government. In the midst of the chaos, policy makers, parents and taxpayers should take time to reflect on what California’s six million public school students really need, starting with high expectations.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5298/pub_detail.asp#12-23-2009Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5281/pub_detail.aspThe holiday season is upon us, but California’s schoolchildren won’t be receiving many gifts this year—at least not from their lawmakers or teachers’ unions.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5281/pub_detail.asp#12-16-2009Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.646/blog_detail.aspMemo to anyone who still believes Santa Claus resides in our nation's capitol. Back in 1986 President Ronald Reagan told small business leaders that "government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Yesterday, government once again lived down to its reputation.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.646/blog_detail.asp#12-14-2009Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5263/pub_detail.aspIn 2007, the Pacific Research Institute published the book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice. This update finds hundreds more & quot;middle-class& quot; schools where students fail to reach the proficiency mark.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5263/pub_detail.asp#12-10-2009Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5230/pub_detail.aspOn November 12, parents of children at Gratts Elementary in Los Angeles received a flier, in Spanish, warning that if they signed a petition to convert their neighborhood school into a charter school they would be deported. This threat, though bogus, teaches parents and policy makers a lesson about the forces opposing education reform in California.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5230/pub_detail.asp#11-25-2009Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.634/blog_detail.aspA just-released survey finds majority of Virginians want more school choices-even though most of them believe their traditional public schooling system is good. Survey responses indicate:40% of parents said they would choose a regular public school for their child, but about 90% of Virginia& #39;s enrolled K-12 students attend regular public schools.39% of K-12 parents say they would like to send their child to a private school, but only 9% of Virginia& #39;s K-12 students attend private schools.11% of Virginia parents prefer to homeschool their child, but less than 2% of Virginia children are homeschooled.8% of parents say they would like to send their child to a charter school; however, there are only three charter schools in operation in Virginia, serving approximately 190 students.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.634/blog_detail.asp#11-24-2009Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.83/detail.aspU.S. Capitol film debut of & quot;Not As Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School& quot; in Washington, D.C.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.83/detail.asp#11-19-2009Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5206/pub_detail.aspThis week the National Education Association is sponsoring American Education Week. According to the NEA& rsquo;s website, the purpose of the week is to emphasize, & ldquo;the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great.& rdquo;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5206/pub_detail.asp#11-18-2009Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.617/blog_detail.aspOn November 4 President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin to discuss what the White House is calling & quot;one of the most exciting and innovative initiatives in education reform history.& quot; The president explained, & quot;In some cases, people have seen schools as sort of a political spoil having to do with jobs and contracts instead of what we& #39;re teaching kids. And this status quo has held back our children, it& #39;s held back our economy, and it& #39;s held back our country for too long.& quot;Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.617/blog_detail.asp#11-9-2009Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.639/blog_detail.asp& quot;Opponents of school choice are running out of excuses as evidence continues to roll in about the positive impact of charter schools,& quot; declared the Wall Street Journal last week.In recent months research has shown that charter schools benefit their own students as well as students in surrounding traditional public schools. Low-income NYC students attending charter schools from kindergarten through 8th grade can nearly close achievement gaps with their peers in the affluent suburbs, 86 percent of the reading gap and 66 percent of the math gap.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.639/blog_detail.asp#11-9-2009Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5164/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; California is scrambling for federal Race to the Top grants but there is more at stake than money according to state Sen. Gloria Romero, who held an informational hearing on October 14.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5164/pub_detail.asp#10-28-2009Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.82/detail.aspThe Pacific Research Institute will be hosting a school board training session on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego located at 207 5th Avenue.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.82/detail.asp#10-23-2009Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.593/blog_detail.aspIn recent weeks, there has been national media coverage of school officials& #39; zero-tolerance zealotry. What isn& #39;t covered, however, is more troubling still: the failure to enforce at-risk students& #39; Unsafe School Choice Option, which occupies just a few lines of the federal No Child Left behind Act (NCLB).Earlier this month as some school officials were securing the cafeteria against a camping utensil-carrying Cub Scout, the New York Times recounted the tragic death of a 16-year-old football player in Chicago-the 67th death in 2007-08 school year that occurred before, during, or after school. Last week the Jersey Journal reported that two Bayonne High School students were transported to the hospital after being stabbed during an after-school brawl.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.593/blog_detail.asp#10-21-2009Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5132/pub_detail.aspThe National Education Association wants to reform hiring practices to help move highly qualified teachers into the classrooms of troubled schools. This is a laudable effort, but the problems in America& rsquo;s public schools extend far beyond poor areas. Indeed, many middle-class schools are failing to educate their students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5132/pub_detail.asp#10-14-2009Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.580/blog_detail.aspIt& #39;s time for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to start practicing what he& #39;s been preaching across the country, namely, that he wants to & quot;invest in what works& quot; by rewarding excellence and creating more choice and competition among schools. Yesterday, parents, students, elected officials, and community leaders actually did something to further that goal when they rallied in the nation& #39;s capital to save the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship ProgramBloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.580/blog_detail.asp#10-1-2009Thu, 1 Oct 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.578/blog_detail.aspLast week& #39;s Washington Post editorial congratulates the Obama& #39;s administration for a quiet success toward reforming America& #39;s public schooling system. Unfortunately, congratulations are premature. Consider the actions behind the administration& #39;s calm, cool exterior. Each state is competing for $4.5 billion in exchange for greater federal control over education. Education Stimulus Watch Special Report by Andy Smarick of the American Enterprise Institute cautions that & quot;States& #39; unprecedented budgetary challenges combined with the administration& #39;s prescriptiveness could lead to partially disingenuous proposals and the half-hearted implementations of promised reforms.& quot;Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.578/blog_detail.asp#9-28-2009Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5069/pub_detail.aspOn September 8, the nation tuned in as President Barack Obama delivered an address on education to a group of students in Arlington, Virginia. The speech proved instructive, in a number of ways.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.5069/pub_detail.asp#9-16-2009Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.554/blog_detail.aspLast week Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson hosted a Town Hall with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. A smaller Leadership Forum, & quot;Education that Works: Ideas for Sacramento,& quot; preceded the public event where U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivered some very encouraging remarks. He spoke of the & quot;adult dysfunction& quot; that & quot;often hurts kids.& quot; Duncan& #39;s solution is to get out of the current & quot;compliance-model bureaucracy [and] into the business of what works.& quot; Further, he urged & quot;investment in organizations that challenge the status quo.& quot; And what is status quo?Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.554/blog_detail.asp#9-8-2009Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.551/blog_detail.aspOn September 8, 2009, President Obama will kick-off the new school year with a speech about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school. The U.S. Department of Education will also post a list of related classroom activities. A new report from Education Next and Harvard University suggests that the president & quot;has the potential to be an extremely influential opinion maker on controversial education policy issues& quot; and that & quot;that a well-publicized stance on an education issue taken by a popular president can shift the opinions of a substantial segment of the American public-a surprising fact considering how stable aggregate public opinion on these issues has been over time.& quot;Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.551/blog_detail.asp#9-1-2009Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1851/pub_detail.aspPolicy Alerts highlights PRI& #39;s latest press releases, media coverage and impact on public policy in California and across the nation.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1851/pub_detail.asp#9-1-2009Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.546/blog_detail.aspCalifornia became the first state in May to offer schools free, open-source digital textbooks for high school students. & quot;California& #39;s Digital Textbook Initiative gives school districts high-quality, cost-effective options to consider when choosing textbooks for the classroom - not only during these difficult economic times but in the years to come,& quot; said Governor Schwarzenegger.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.546/blog_detail.asp#8-21-2009Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4965/pub_detail.aspOn July 24, President Obama laid out a plan for incentive-based education reform in a speech at the United States Department of Education. The incentives come in the form of $4 billion in federal & ldquo;Race to the Top& rdquo; money up for grabs by schools as part of his Economic Recovery Act. To get this money, states such as California may have to make some changes.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4965/pub_detail.asp#8-19-2009Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4979/pub_detail.aspThis June, dozens of students who had used D.C. Opportunity Scholarships graduated from their chosen private high schools. & quot;We stand as examples of just how successful this program can be, and we will fight for its existence,& quot; said Georgetown Day School graduate Jordan White, who earned a full scholarship to Oberlin College in Ohio. Her younger sister& #39;s future is less clear.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4979/pub_detail.asp#8-13-2009Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.75/detail.aspSacramento, California film screening based on the study & quot;Not As Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice.& quot;Screening followed by a discussion with Lance Izumi, executive producer and author; Nick Tucker, directorEventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.75/detail.asp#8-12-2009Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.540/blog_detail.aspU.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says fixing D.C. Public Schools where tens of thousands of children languish each year is & quot;the toughest work in urban education today.& quot; Trouble is, D.C. Public Schools have been among the country& #39;s most expensive, dysfunctional, and dangerous schooling systems for decades. That& #39;s why Duncan, many Members of Congress, and President Obama won& #39;t send own their children there-but they are trying to force hundreds of other people& #39;s children back into those same schools by killing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.540/blog_detail.asp#8-12-2009Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.73/detail.aspThis film screening event has been postponed.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.73/detail.asp#8-6-2009Thu, 6 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.532/blog_detail.aspThe & quot;cash-for-clunkers& quot; program gives car owners federally-funded vouchers worth up to $4,500 to trade in their gas-guzzlers for more fuel efficient models. Five years ago, Congress enacted an educational version of this program. Under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, low-income parents can use federally-funded vouchers worth up to $7,500 to trade in their children& #39;s clunker schools for a top-of the line education at many of the same schools Presidents and Members of Congress send their children (including St. Albans, Sidwell Friends, and National Cathedral).Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.532/blog_detail.asp#8-4-2009Tue, 4 Aug 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.529/blog_detail.aspNo state wants its credit rating to be & quot;within spitting distance of junk,& quot; as The Economist puts it-especially not California, which prefers bragging that it has the eighth largest economy in the world. Perhaps bolstered by voters& #39; refusal in May to raise taxes, it appears Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to his & quot;don& #39;t be economic girlie men& quot; days.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.529/blog_detail.asp#7-29-2009Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.524/blog_detail.aspLooking for a recession-proof investment? Try private education. In both America and Britain & quot;there is little sign of a recession-induced meltdown in private schooling,& quot; according to the Economist. This resilience comes on the heels of a new study that finds a roughly 30 percent earnings gap between private school students and their government-school counterparts in both England and the U.S.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.524/blog_detail.asp#7-26-2009Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.527/blog_detail.aspSecretary of Education Arne Duncan recently wrote in the Washington Post about the plans for the $4.35 billion & quot;Race to the Top& quot; fund, saying it is & quot;by far the largest pot of discretionary funding for K-12 education reform in the history of the United States.& quot; Yet, even in the midst of an unprecedented recession, adding more money is not the only answer.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.527/blog_detail.asp#7-26-2009Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.525/blog_detail.asp& quot;A world-class education is a prerequisite for success,& quot; said President Obama in his speech to the NAACP on Tuesday, July 14 in Cincinnati. & quot;The dream of a world-class education is still being deferred all across the country. African-American students are lagging behind white classmates in reading and math. Furthermore he stated that & quot;if black and brown children cannot compete then America cannot compete.& quot;Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.525/blog_detail.asp#7-23-2009Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4885/pub_detail.aspPresident Obama recently promised to continue funding the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program by allowing students currently enrolled to complete their education. This decision will prevent many students from being forced from their schools of choice, but it fails to help the thousands of DC parents who hoped to use vouchers in the future to rescue their children from poorly performing and unsafe schools.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4885/pub_detail.asp#7-22-2009Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.521/blog_detail.aspIn April, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan adopted a & quot;presumed dead& quot; strategy and rescinded D.C. Opportunity Scholarships for more than 200 low-income students-within 72 hours of his own department reporting that students who have used the scholarships, which average $6,600, to attend private schools perform up to two grades ahead of their public school counterparts in reading.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.521/blog_detail.asp#7-14-2009Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.509/blog_detail.aspMonday& #39;s Fox News Pundit Pit asked three child prodigies, & quot;Should the U.S. expand the school year since other places around the globe go a lot longer?& quot; Jonathan Krohn, who& #39;s 14, says there& #39;s no guarantee that & quot;if you lengthen the school day everything is going to change, and we are going to perform better.& quot; Go to the head of the class, JonathanBloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.509/blog_detail.asp#6-29-2009Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4826/pub_detail.aspThe Senate Armed Services Committee is considering a proposal to provide military families with tuition vouchers. The idea enjoys support in the military but the National Education Association (NEA) has mounted an attack in a letter to the Committee, part of its ongoing battle against educational choice.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4826/pub_detail.asp#6-24-2009Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.507/blog_detail.aspCalifornia has already received more than $5 billion in federal education bailout funds, compliments of the American taxpayer. Another $2 billion is on its way this fall. Last month during a visit to San Francisco, Education Secretary Arne Duncan asked whether California was going to lead the way or retreat in K-12 education reform. Duncan was referring to the $4.35 billion in & quot;Race to the Top& quot; state incentive funding for groundbreaking reforms, including data collection about teacher performance and preparation.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.507/blog_detail.asp#6-16-2009Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4788/pub_detail.aspGovernor Schwarzenegger last month announced a first-in-the-nation plan to offer free digital math and science textbooks for high school students. Facing a $24 billion budget deficit, the governor touts the need for & ldquo;such innovative ways to save money and improve services.& rdquo; Shifting the curriculum online might help reduce the state& rsquo;s yearly textbook tab of $400 million, but technology alone will do little to improve the quality of California& rsquo;s public schools.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4788/pub_detail.asp#6-10-2009Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.503/blog_detail.aspA recent report warns that more than half of veteran teachers nationwide (1.7 million) will retire in the next decade. New teachers won& #39;t fill the gap because a growing number leave the profession within five years. In places like San Diego, critical teacher shortages could be just two to three years away. But until public schools improve the professional working environments for teachers, don& #39;t expect to attract-much less retain-top talent. While unions and other groups purporting to represent teachers have focused on such things as class size, sick days, and collective bargaining agreements, little has changed since 1983 when A Nation at Risk concluded that the & quot;professional working life of teachers is on the whole unacceptable.& quot;Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.503/blog_detail.asp#6-8-2009Mon, 8 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.504/blog_detail.aspLess than one-third of American students score proficient in reading. Less than a quarter are proficient in math. Fully, 70 percent of the countries that outperformed the U.S. in combined math and science literacy among 15-year-olds had more schools competing for students. & quot;How has the richest and most innovative society on earth suddenly lost the ability to teach its children at a level that other modern countries consider & lsquo;basic& #39;?& quot; Against this international backdrop, a new documentary by Bob Bowdon entitled & quot;The Cartel& quot; investigates, focusing on the New Jersey schooling system because it ranks first nationally in spending.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.504/blog_detail.asp#6-3-2009Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4745/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in California, spends $10 million a year to & ldquo;house,& rdquo; with full pay and benefits, about 160 teachers deemed unsuitable for the classroom, according to & ldquo;Failure Gets a Pass,& rdquo; a recent series in the Los Angeles Times.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4745/pub_detail.asp#5-27-2009Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4733/pub_detail.aspIn early May, President Obama presented a revised 2010 budget that included $12.2 million for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. The proposal represented a & ldquo;compromise& rdquo; solution to DC& rsquo;s embattled voucher program, but is hardly a gain for low-income students and their parents.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4733/pub_detail.asp#5-20-2009Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.70/detail.aspIn order to be effective reformers in their school districts, school board members must have the best information about policy options, strategies, and what works.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.70/detail.asp#5-5-2009Tue, 5 May 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.69/detail.aspWashington, D.C. film premiere based on the study & quot;Not As Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice.& quot; Screening followed by a discussion with Lance Izumi, executive producer and author; and Nick Tucker, director.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.69/detail.asp#5-1-2009Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.68/detail.aspOrange County film premiere based on the study & quot;Not As Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice.& quot; Screening followed by a discussion with Lance Izumi, executive producer and author; and Nick Tucker, director.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.68/detail.asp#4-29-2009Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.67/detail.aspSan Francisco film premiere based on the study & quot;Not As Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice.& quot; Screening followed by a discussion with Lance Izumi, executive producer and author; and Nick Tucker, director.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.67/detail.asp#4-24-2009Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4637/pub_detail.aspThe special election of May 19 is less than a month away and the California Teacher& rsquo;s Association (CTA), the state& rsquo;s most powerful union, is spending a lot of money to pass Propositions 1A and 1B. The measures, however, do nothing for education except make a complicated system more complicated.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4637/pub_detail.asp#4-22-2009Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4594/pub_detail.aspIn early March, President Obama addressed the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on his vision for public education. The president promised that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would move beyond party politics to use & ldquo;only one test& rdquo; when deciding how to use taxpayer money. That test would be & ldquo;not whether an idea is liberal or conservative, but whether it works.& quot;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4594/pub_detail.asp#4-1-2009Wed, 1 Apr 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4592/pub_detail.aspMost people think California ranks almost last in public school funding... The reality is, most state and national experts agree that California ranks around the middle nationally. To help remedy this lack of transparency, the Pacific Research Institute and Just for the Kids& ndash;California partnered to produce the California School Finance Center database.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4592/pub_detail.asp#3-31-2009Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4545/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;Heavy hitters in education reform convened here Monday for mayor Kevin Johnson& rsquo;s Education Summit. The event was a microcosm of changes afoot nationwide and packed a powerful message for California.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4545/pub_detail.asp#3-11-2009Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.64/detail.aspThe Pacific Research Institute cordially invites you to a breakfast preview demonstration of & quot;The California School Finance Center& quot; database with Assemblywoman Julia Brownley and Assemblyman Mike Duvall.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.64/detail.asp#3-9-2009Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4459/pub_detail.aspTwo years ago Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed January 29 Milton Friedman Day to honor the late Nobel laureate, his & ldquo;intellectual hero,& rdquo; whose Free to Choose book and documentary proved & ldquo;life changing.& rdquo; The governor and the legislature, unfortunately, have not allowed Milton Friedman& rsquo;s ideas to change the lives of California parents and students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4459/pub_detail.asp#1-28-2009Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4408/pub_detail.aspFor Secretary of Education, President-elect Barack Obama recently named Arne Duncan, whose seven-year record as head of Chicago schools includes some noteworthy improvements. Duncan now faces significant challenges that require deeper reforms than those he pursued in Chicago.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4408/pub_detail.asp#1-7-2009Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4455/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - December 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4455/pub_detail.asp#12-31-2008Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4378/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;With approximately 80,000 children, California has the nation& rsquo;s largest foster-care population, according to the state& rsquo;s Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care. Californians should keep a close watch on Arizona, where the fate of the country& rsquo;s first K-12 scholarship program for foster-care students is now in the hands of the state supreme court.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4378/pub_detail.asp#12-10-2008Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4424/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - November 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4424/pub_detail.asp#11-30-2008Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4313/pub_detail.aspNow that Barack Obama has achieved his electoral goal, he has the opportunity to solve all those problems he pointed out during the presidential campaign, when he correctly noted the poor performance of too many students in America. His proposals to address the achievement crisis, however, are not only expensive, but have not resulted in large gains where they& rsquo;ve already been tried.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4313/pub_detail.asp#11-12-2008Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.60/detail.aspIn order to be effective reformers in their districts, school board members must have the best information about policy options, strategies, and what works. The Pacific Research Institute will be hosting a school board training session on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at the San Diego Manchester Hyatt.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.60/detail.asp#11-3-2008Mon, 3 Nov 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4327/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - October 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4327/pub_detail.asp#10-31-2008Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4245/pub_detail.aspSay & ldquo;Sweden& rdquo; and most Americans think Volvo and IKEA. There is more to the Scandinavian country, however, than just sturdy cars and innovative furniture. Sweden is the world leader when it comes to parental choice in education.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4245/pub_detail.asp#10-15-2008Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.409/blog_detail.aspShould The Same People Who Run The K-12 School Monopoly Control Our Kids& #39; Health Care?Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.409/blog_detail.asp#10-9-2008Thu, 9 Oct 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4224/pub_detail.aspNot all readers of the Contrarian are aware that I have been known to play a game of tennis. I have defeated many of my peers and even, like Billy Jean King, defeated men, some of whom did not take the loss well. Unlike Billy Jean and her celebrity feminist fans, however, I did not make a big deal out of it for the next 35 years. In her recent book, Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I& rsquo;ve Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes, she is still swinging away.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4224/pub_detail.asp#10-7-2008Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4212/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; David Long, California& rsquo;s Secretary of Education, resigned on August 10, the fourth such Secretary to resign in the past five years. California should take this opportunity to eliminate this position, which Mr. Long& rsquo;s brief 18-month tenure confirms to be redundant.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4212/pub_detail.asp#10-1-2008Wed, 1 Oct 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4252/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - September 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4252/pub_detail.asp#9-30-2008Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4159/pub_detail.aspLast summer, when the California State Board of Education unveiled a plan to require all 8th graders to take algebra by 2011, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O& rsquo;Connell opposed the move. That stance might strike parents as odd but California educrats have been fighting higher standards in math for a long time.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4159/pub_detail.asp#9-10-2008Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4194/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - August 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4194/pub_detail.asp#8-31-2008Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4121/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Earlier this year, California& rsquo;s Second District Court of Appeal shocked parents and lawmakers by effectively banning the homeschooling of children. In my column & ldquo;Court Out of Touch with Reality in Homeschool Decision,& rdquo; I pointed out that the court had ignored a longtime state practice that gave approval to parents to homeschool their children. When the court recently reversed itself, the judges cited this state practice as a key reason for the reversal.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4121/pub_detail.asp#8-27-2008Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4081/pub_detail.aspThe 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.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4081/pub_detail.asp#8-7-2008Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4126/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - July 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4126/pub_detail.asp#7-31-2008Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4053/pub_detail.aspToday California ranks 48th in basic reading and math skills. A challenging student population is a popular scapegoat, especially Hispanic students.& rdquo; By this & ldquo;logic,& rdquo; Hispanic populations are growing rapidly, Hispanic students under-perform, therefore southwestern states are doomed. But states like Florida prove demography is not destiny.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4053/pub_detail.asp#7-30-2008Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4019/pub_detail.aspMore than a decade ago, in 1996, the California State University (CSU) trustees adopted a policy to reduce the need for remediation to no more than 10 percent of incoming freshmen by 2007. Results to date are not encouraging.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4019/pub_detail.asp#7-21-2008Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4011/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;Last month students across California graduated from high school eager to start college in the fall. How many will wind up in remedial classes repeating work they should have already mastered? The numbers& mdash;and the price tag& mdash;are probably a lot more than you think.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4011/pub_detail.asp#7-16-2008_7:30:00_PMWed, 16 Jul 2008 19:30:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3997/pub_detail.aspGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared 2008 & ldquo;The Year of Education Reform,& rdquo; and more than halfway through the year, California parents continue to wait for promised relief. If the governor& rsquo;s blueprint for reform is any indication, they may be waiting for a long time.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3997/pub_detail.asp#7-9-2008_5:30:00_PMWed, 9 Jul 2008 17:30:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4064/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - June 2008Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.4064/pub_detail.asp#6-30-2008Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3900/pub_detail.aspA 10th-Anniversary Retrospective on Proposition 227 and the & ldquo;End& rdquo; of Bilingual EducationPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3900/pub_detail.asp#6-27-2008Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3940/pub_detail.aspOn June 5, Education Week released Diplomas Count 2008: School to College. The report finds that three in 10 students who enroll in California public high schools fail to graduate. The statistics mask a more dismal reality, but there is a way the Golden State can improve.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3940/pub_detail.asp#6-18-2008_2:00:00_PMWed, 18 Jun 2008 14:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3903/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Thirty years ago Friday, on June 6, 1978, Californians passed Proposition 13, the & ldquo;People& #39;s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation& rdquo; that helped California homeowners but is now blamed for many state woes.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3903/pub_detail.asp#6-4-2008Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3896/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; On June 2, California celebrates the 10th anniversary of Proposition 227, the & ldquo;English for the Children& rdquo; initiative many believed would end bilingual education in the state& rsquo;s classrooms. While 227 has resulted in numerous positive changes, guerrilla warfare by bilingual-education adherents has ensured that bilingual education continues to be used to instruct hundreds of thousands of California students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3896/pub_detail.asp#5-28-2008_5:30:00_PMWed, 28 May 2008 17:30:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3857/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Last month the California Department of Education (CDE) paid out $4.6 million to settle the longstanding case of CDE employee James Lindberg. Though previously addressed in this column, the case remains rich in lessons for legislators, educators, taxpayers, and even law enforcement.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3857/pub_detail.asp#5-14-2008Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3847/pub_detail.aspVicki E. Murray, Ph.D. and senior fellow in Education Studies, gave invited testimony on AB 2605, the Tax Credits for Non-Public School Families bill, at a meeting of the California Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee on May 6, 2008.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3847/pub_detail.asp#5-6-2008Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3848/pub_detail.aspVicki E. Murray, Ph.D. and senior fellow in Education Studies, gave invited testimony on AB 2561, the Pupil Opportunities Transfers bill, at a meeting of the California Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee on April 28, 2008.Comments--& gt;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3848/pub_detail.asp#4-28-2008Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3805/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Recent results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3805/pub_detail.asp#4-16-2008_7:30:00_PMWed, 16 Apr 2008 19:30:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3796/pub_detail.aspVicki E. Murray, Ph.D. and senior fellow in Education Studies, gave invited testimony on AB 2739, the Student Proficiency Transfers bill, at a meeting of the California Assembly Education Committee on April 10, 2008.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3796/pub_detail.asp#4-10-2008Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3763/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Today the Senate Education Committee holds a hearing on SB 1322, which allows members of the Communist Party USA to teach and hold meetings in California& rsquo;s public schools. This measure, authored by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a southern California Democrat, has left many puzzled.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3763/pub_detail.asp#4-2-2008_4:34:00_PMWed, 2 Apr 2008 16:34:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3769/pub_detail.aspVicki E. Murray, Ph.D. and senior fellow in Education Studies, gave invited testimony on AB 2361, the Safe Schools Guarantee bill, at a meeting of the California Assembly Education Committee on April 2, 2008.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3769/pub_detail.asp#4-2-2008Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3741/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; The March arrest of a Los Angeles public-school assistant principal on charges of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student is the most recent in a burgeoning line of sexual and criminal misconduct cases involving public-school teachers and administrators. Yet, a recent California court decision would force parents who homeschool because of safety, moral and educational concerns to send their children into a public-school system that is dysfunctional and often dangerous.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3741/pub_detail.asp#3-19-2008_7:30:00_PMWed, 19 Mar 2008 19:30:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3692/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Last week the College Board released the results of Advanced Placement (AP) tests placing California eighth in the nation, with nearly one in five public school students scoring a college-credit-earning three or better on at least one 2007 AP exam. The news came with a positive spin, but there is a lot more to the story that policy makers and parents should know.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3692/pub_detail.asp#2-20-2008Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3664/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;Yesterday was Milton Friedman Day, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may at last be taking a first step toward putting into action the ideas of the late Nobel Laureate and & ldquo;Father of Modern School Reform.& rdquo;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3664/pub_detail.asp#1-30-2008Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3574/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; According to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California faces a combined $14 billion budget deficit for this fiscal year and the next. In response, the governor has resorted to conventional remedies such as a 10-percent across-the-board spending cut. He should have remembered his original & ldquo;blow-up-the-boxes& rdquo; battle cry and proposed reforms such as school choice, which also save tax dollars.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3574/pub_detail.asp#1-16-2008Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3554/pub_detail.aspIn 2008 the University of California will increase the number of officially recognized Asian categories from eight to 23, nearly a three-fold increase. UC administrators and various student groups hail the move as a milestone of diversity and aid to outreach. That remains dubious but the plan confirms that the UC system is more ethnically obsessed than it was in 1996, when Californians voters passed Proposition 209.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3554/pub_detail.asp#1-2-2008Wed, 2 Jan 2008 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.273/blog_detail.aspThe U.S. housing market is in trouble partly thanks to the economic naivety of many Americans. Real estate buyers, including young first-time home owners, were lured by the low down payments (sometimes none at all) and low interest rates betting that market conditions won& #39;t change in an undesired way.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.273/blog_detail.asp#12-28-2007Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3544/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & mdash; California may soon be the first state to implement academic standards for preschool English-language learners. The standards are part of the state& rsquo;s Preschool Learning Foundations initiative that began in 2004. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O& rsquo;Connell is expected to approve them in early 2008. Compliance would then be mandatory for any preschool receiving state funds.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3544/pub_detail.asp#12-19-2007Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.46/detail.aspA conference organized by the California Association of Scholars (www.calscholars.org) and cosponsored by the American Civil Rights Institute (www.acri.org) and the Center for Equal Opportunity (www.ceousa.org).Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.46/detail.asp#12-17-2007Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3530/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & mdash; Christmas came early for California legislators in the form of pay raises that speak to a neglected aspect of California& #39;s government. That aspect is not low pay. Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3530/pub_detail.asp#12-12-2007Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3525/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; New research from Johns Hopkins University reveals schools with annual graduation rates of only 60 percent. These & quot;dropout factories& quot; are common in California, where more than one in 10 high schools fits the description.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3525/pub_detail.asp#12-5-2007Wed, 5 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.254/blog_detail.aspDid your child& rsquo;s school make U.S. News & amp; World Report& rsquo;s new & ldquo; High School& rdquo; list? If so, don& rsquo;t cheer just yet: many of those California high schools are not preparing their students adequately for college. As it stands, your children& rsquo;s high schools may have the dubious distinction of earning the two R& rsquo;s: ranking and remediation.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.254/blog_detail.asp#12-4-2007Tue, 4 Dec 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3451/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Last week State Superintendent of Education Jack O& rsquo;Connell hosted a weekend summit on the disparity in performance between minority and white/Asian students. O& rsquo;Connell called this & ldquo;achievement gap& rdquo; the & ldquo;biggest civil rights issue of our time,& rdquo; and blamed it largely on subtle and inadvertent racism in the classroom.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3451/pub_detail.asp#11-21-2007Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.235/blog_detail.aspWant real education reform? Then Sacramento policy makers need a way around local union contracts that prevent the dismissal of ineffective teachers, the leading barrier to improved student performance. School choice is the only real answer.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.235/blog_detail.asp#11-16-2007Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.223/blog_detail.aspThe principal of Needham High School in the Boston suburbs decided his students were too stressed out. He worried that the high pressure in his affluent suburban school created an unhealthy & quot;ethos of super-achievement& quot; that he wanted to roll back. So he got rid of a published honor roll and introduced required yoga classes for seniors. He& #39;s also asked teachers to schedule homework-free weekends and holidays.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.223/blog_detail.asp#11-2-2007Fri, 2 Nov 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.220/blog_detail.aspSchool choice opponents demand parental responsibility but deny the parental rights necessary to fulfill it. Real parental involvement requires freedom to choose their children& rsquo;s schools. Until parents can exercise that freedom, stop blaming them for the failures of schools others chose for them.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.220/blog_detail.asp#11-1-2007Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.44/detail.aspSchool Board Training Seminar, November 28, 2007 in San Diego, CA.Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.44/detail.asp#10-31-2007Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.209/blog_detail.aspA recent Associated Press investigation uncovered some shocking facts about sexual misconduct in public schools. The investigation turned up over 2,500 cases over five years of sexual misconduct by educators. Almost 2,000 of the victims were young people, mostly students. The cases ranged across rural, urban, and suburban schools. A California lawyer involved in investigating abuse and misconduct cases guessed that, & quot;every single school district in the nation& quot; has at least one perpetrator.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.209/blog_detail.asp#10-23-2007Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3367/pub_detail.aspThe National Center for Education Statistics recently released the 2007 results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Report Card. The spin is rather rosy, but California parents and policy makers should be aware of the darker picture related to actual performance.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3367/pub_detail.asp#10-17-2007Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.189/blog_detail.aspA special commission of the National Association for College Admission Counseling met last week to discuss the usefulness of standardized tests in college admissions. According to an article in Education Week, the commission would not vote to remove the SAT as an admissions requirement. However, there were many who advocated making the test optional and some who did suggest its removal as a qualification for admission.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.189/blog_detail.asp#10-5-2007Fri, 5 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3339/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;Money Magazine recently released its annual list of best places to live. The 2007 version focuses on smaller cities and towns with a strong sense of community and, of course, good public schools. Several California cities that made the top-100 list also have schools that fail to justify Money Magazine& rsquo;s & quot;A& quot; for education grades,Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3339/pub_detail.asp#10-3-2007Wed, 3 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.41/detail.aspMuch of the attention in the education reform debate focuses on the need to improve opportunities for disadvantaged children. But a new book offers a wake-up call to suburban parents: their schools aren& rsquo;t as good as they think. Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.41/detail.asp#10-2-2007Tue, 2 Oct 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.177/blog_detail.aspA decade ago the British wondered how they could become the California of Europe. Given its innovation-averse monopoly schooling system, today the Golden State is the last place reform-minded Brits are turning for effective solutions.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.177/blog_detail.asp#9-25-2007Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3309/pub_detail.aspRight 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.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3309/pub_detail.asp#9-25-2007Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.170/blog_detail.aspDemocratic Congressman George Miller of California is chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. As a Democrat in charge of an education committee, one would think Miller would be cozy with teachers unions. Recently, however, he has sponsored a proposal that has the unions up in arms.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.170/blog_detail.asp#9-21-2007Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.40/detail.aspAfter months of careful study, it is clear that California& #39;s students are far behind other states on many measures of achievement. Studies have produced unsettling results: California is ranked 3rd lowest in reading and 2nd lowest in science in the nation. What has gone wrong?Eventshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/events/id.40/detail.asp#9-20-2007Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3305/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash;School is back in session and California families struggle to make payments on homes near what they have been led to believe are & quot;good& quot; public schools. Some unpleasant surprises await these & quot;house-poor& quot; families, who spend more than 35 percent of their incomes on housing.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3305/pub_detail.asp#9-19-2007Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.161/blog_detail.aspDistrict-run schools see much higher rates of dissatisfaction than charter schools.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.161/blog_detail.asp#9-12-2007Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3262/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Dan Weintraub, the perceptive columnist for the Sacramento Bee, shows a knack for piercing the excuses put forward by education special interests. He recently argued that public schools need incentives to implement high-performing school models. While Weintraub didn& rsquo;t specify the incentive, the obvious candidate would be greater school-choice options, especially vouchers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3262/pub_detail.asp#8-29-2007Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.153/blog_detail.aspHas Paul Krugman Never Heard of a & quot;Charter School& quot; or a & quot;Voucher& quot;?Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.153/blog_detail.asp#8-28-2007_1:26:00_AMTue, 28 Aug 2007 01:26:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3216/pub_detail.aspAccording to most predictions, the recent downturn in the housing market is only going to get worse before it gets better. In July, housing starts & mdash; the number of privately owned homes on which construction has begun & mdash; fell to the lowest levels in a decade. The subprime mortgage crisis continues to worsen, making credit harder to come by for many people. Mortgage defaults are rising while house prices are falling.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3216/pub_detail.asp#8-23-2007Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3217/pub_detail.aspEducation is the second largest U.S. industry, and female employees outnumber male employees by more than three to one. Since there are more career opportunities today than ever before, ensuring the teaching profession attracts talented women is an important public policy concern.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3217/pub_detail.asp#8-23-2007Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3266/pub_detail.aspPRI Ideas in Action - July 2007Policy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3266/pub_detail.asp#7-31-2007Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3172/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; Most of the attention following the United States Supreme Court& rsquo;s recent landmark decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 et al. has focused on the court& rsquo;s ruling that race cannot be used as a & ldquo;tiebreaker& rdquo; in assigning students to certain schools. Less discussed, but just as important from an education standpoint, was the court& rsquo;s debate over how best to ensure quality education for all children.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3172/pub_detail.asp#7-25-2007Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3130/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; The California Department of Education has decided to appeal the latest ruling in the case of James Lindberg, recently addressed in this space. That means more needless expense for taxpayers, but the appeal highlights key lessons for legislators.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3130/pub_detail.asp#7-18-2007Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3069/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO& mdash; California can learn something from Iowa, which recently proved that giving parents choices about their children& rsquo;s education is a matter of right versus wrong, not right versus left.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3069/pub_detail.asp#6-27-2007Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2991/pub_detail.aspDoes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remember what happened in the 2006 elections? She represents the people& rsquo;s republic of San Francisco, but she must recall that the rest of California overwhelmingly rejected ex-actor/director Rob Reiner& rsquo;s government-run universal preschool initiative last June. Yet, at her recent children& rsquo;s summit, Pelosi ushered in a parade of notables advocating for more government preschool.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2991/pub_detail.asp#6-6-2007Wed, 6 Jun 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2972/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & mdash; On May 18, Georgia became the 14th state to allow publicly-funded private-school scholarships. Unfortunately, California is not among the progressive 14.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2972/pub_detail.asp#5-30-2007Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.91/blog_detail.aspLast week, the Nation& rsquo;s Report Card revealed seven out of 10 students are not being prepared for citizenship& mdash;a pattern that& rsquo;s nearly a decade old. Most American children attend assigned public schools. Is it any wonder such an undemocratic process fails to achieve a democratic purpose?Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.91/blog_detail.asp#5-24-2007Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2967/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO & ndash; After a jury here recently increased an award to California Department of Education whistleblower James Lindberg from $4.5 to $7.6 million, Delaine Eastin, the former state education superintendent responsible for Lindberg& #39;s demotion, stepped up to the mic.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2967/pub_detail.asp#5-23-2007Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.88/blog_detail.aspHas Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton talked to Rob Reiner lately? Clinton has just proposed a $10 billion federal version of actor/director Reiner& rsquo;s ill-fated universal preschool initiative that was trounced 61% to 39% by blue-state California voters last year. Worse, Clinton defends her proposal by using the same discredited arguments that were made by Reiner and his allies.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.88/blog_detail.asp#5-21-2007Mon, 21 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.82/blog_detail.aspJust-released civics results on the Nation& #39;s Report Card show that the American public education system fails the common good by failing to teach core principles of a free society.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.82/blog_detail.asp#5-16-2007Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.83/blog_detail.aspWhen it comes to educational effectiveness, California earns an & ldquo;F& rdquo; from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.83/blog_detail.asp#5-16-2007Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2958/pub_detail.aspLocke High School principal Frank Wells is fed up: & quot;The more you fail, the more money they throw at you. We& #39;re filthy rich; I don& #39; t want any more of your money. Send me quality teachers.& quot;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2958/pub_detail.asp#5-16-2007Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1886/pub_detail.aspLate last month a jury here awarded $7.6 million to James Lindberg, a former California Department of Education employee the CDE punished for doing his job. The award is an increase of more than $3 million from the $4.5 million Lindberg got in 2002, and more reason why legislators should familiarize themselves with this case of waste, fraud and corruption.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1886/pub_detail.asp#5-9-2007Wed, 9 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.459/pub_detail.aspTalk to principals at elementary schools with high-achieving, low-income students and one of their clear messages is the importance of testing to diagnose students& #39; academic weaknesses and to guide interventions. Yet the legislature has decided to undermine the state& rsquo;s assessment program by eliminating the crucial testing of second-grade students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.459/pub_detail.asp#5-2-2007Wed, 2 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.75/blog_detail.aspJust weeks ago, Stanford University released the most comprehensive review to date of California& rsquo;s public education system, written at the bi-partisan request of legislative majority leadership, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O& rsquo;Connell, and the Governor& rsquo;s Committee on Education Excellence. Think critics have the decency to let the ink dry before stonewalling reform recommendations? Think again.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.75/blog_detail.asp#5-1-2007Tue, 1 May 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2922/pub_detail.aspCalifornia& #39;s accountability system is supposed to give parents and the public meaningful information about public schools. Unfortunately, the system is so confusing even the state Department of Education can& #39;t figure it out.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2922/pub_detail.asp#4-18-2007Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2847/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA & ndash; Last week the capital was abuzz over Getting Down to Facts, the massive series of privately-funded education reports coordinated through Stanford University. The responses to these reports missed some key realities.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2847/pub_detail.asp#3-21-2007Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2848/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA & ndash; Getting Down to Facts, a report billed as the most extensive review to date of California public education, is scheduled for release this week, with results from public-school efficiency on Wednesday and funding adequacy on Thursday. Already there is room for doubt whether the top-secret report does indeed get down to facts or merely recycles familiar political themes.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2848/pub_detail.asp#3-13-2007Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2849/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA & ndash; Last month the California Highway Patrol arrested Carey Renee Aceves, an analyst for California& #39;s State Department of Child Support Services. According to the CHP, Aceves used her state credit card to buy merchandise and embezzle $320,000, which the state employee used to buy, among other things, a new Lexis convertible, flat-screen television, a hot tub, and other exotic items. The spending spree is interesting on its own terms and holds lessons for legislators and taxpayers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2849/pub_detail.asp#3-7-2007Wed, 7 Mar 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2850/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA & ndash; Steve Jobs may be CEO of Apple, but his expertise extends far beyond the business of computers. Last week in Texas, in a speech about education reform, Jobs referenced the security that teacher unions provide, even for teachers who fail to perform well in the classroom. Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2850/pub_detail.asp#3-1-2007Thu, 1 Mar 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2808/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA & ndash; Assembly Bill 68, by Compton Democrat Mervyn Dymally, would raise the pay of Los Angeles Unified School District board members from $25,092 to $171,648. The hike of more than 650 percent, which would affect only that district, strikes some observers as outrageous, but it is also predictable, understandable and instructive for legislators and taxpayers alike.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2808/pub_detail.asp#2-21-2007Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2788/pub_detail.asp Lance T. Izumi, PRI& rsquo;s director of Education Studies, and co-authors Rachel Chaney and Xiaochin C. Yan, evaluate and grade 17 aspects of California& rsquo;s education system, including its accountability system, standards tests, graduation rates, courses, and finance system. In a total of 17 categories, there were six & ldquo;F& rdquo;s, five & ldquo;D& rdquo;s, four & ldquo;C& rdquo;s, one & ldquo;B& rdquo;, and one & ldquo;A& rdquo;.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2788/pub_detail.asp#2-15-2007Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.138/pub_detail.aspIn his recent State of the State Address, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pinpointed education as one of five areas requiring more investment. Though California& #39;s public education system needs reform, the governor did not lay out a concrete plan for improving the system. He called for new facilities and greater accountability and transparency, but he missed a fundamental element in the improvement of public education & ndash; qualified teachers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.138/pub_detail.asp#1-24-2007Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.605/pub_detail.aspApproximately $1.25 billion in state public education funding provided to schools to help improve student academic performance has yielded little if any academic improvement, even though these schools met the state Academic Performance Index (API) requirements to exit the improvement program as successful. This analysis comes just as the state is set to carry out the agreed upon terms of last year& rsquo;s SB 1133 (Torlakson) and pour nearly $3 billion more into a similar program.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.605/pub_detail.asp#1-16-2007Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3034/pub_detail.aspIn his 2007 State of the State address, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger touched on some key education principles. Foremost was his call for enhancing parental choice by improving the transparency of the public school system through online information about school performance, funding and demographics. While providing such information would be useful for parents, it is unfortunately the case that much so-called education  information gives an inaccurate picture of the real state of schools.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3034/pub_detail.asp#1-10-2007Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.433/pub_detail.asp& ldquo;Few initiatives in California history have incorporated so many flawed ideas as Proposition 88,& rdquo; said Lance Izumi, director of Education Studies at PRI and co-author of & ldquo;Proposition 88: No Bang for the Tax Buck.& rdquo; The new pamphlet is part of a Decision 2006 policy series published by PRIPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.433/pub_detail.asp#10-1-2006Sun, 1 Oct 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2413/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - The fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has now passed, with speeches, movies, and memorials recalling that fateful day when nearly 3,000 perished. One might think that there is nothing left to say, but here in California, the most populous state, some matters need attention.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2413/pub_detail.asp#9-13-2006Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.111/blog_detail.aspPacific Research Institute& #39;s Josh Trevi& ntilde;o interviews PRI Education Director Lance T. Izumi and Education Public Policy Fellow Xiaochin Claire Yan on California Proposition 82, the universal preschool initiative and brainchild of former actor Rob Reiner. Lance and Xiaochin co-wrote the PRI briefing: No Magic Bullet: Top Ten Myths about the Benefits of Government-Run Universal Preschool which explains why Proposition 82 was not the answer to California& #39;s education problems.Bloghttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/blog/id.111/blog_detail.asp#6-7-2006Wed, 7 Jun 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.390/pub_detail.aspHanding over California& rsquo;s preschools to chronically poor-performing state and county education bureaucracies is a guaranteed formula for failure. No Magic Bullet examines ten of the most common myths propagated by the supporters of Proposition 82, Rob Reiner& rsquo;s government-run universal preschool initiative, which will appear on the June ballot in California.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.390/pub_detail.asp#5-17-2006Wed, 17 May 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.504/pub_detail.aspI want to start by saying that I have the greatest respect for legislators as individuals and the Legislature as an institution. Your work is difficult and the decisions you make in the interest of the betterment of our state are often not easy. Now it is a fact that partisanship is one part of the policymaking process.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.504/pub_detail.asp#4-19-2006Wed, 19 Apr 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2383/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - A Public Policy Institute of California poll in January showed that 63 percent of likely voters support Rob Reiner& #39;s government-run universal preschool initiative. While Reiner& #39;s camp is predictably puffing this supposedly clear-cut support, the reality is much more cloudy.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2383/pub_detail.asp#2-15-2006Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3232/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3232/pub_detail.asp#12-1-2005Thu, 1 Dec 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3231/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3231/pub_detail.asp#11-30-2005Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.420/pub_detail.aspCurrently, public-employee unions are free to use member dues to support political campaigns without obtaining approval from union members. Proposition 75, or the paycheck protection initiative, will require California public unions to get annual permission from members before member dues are spent for political purposes. The opt-in mechanism of paycheck protection ensures that every union member is able to choose how their money is spent.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.420/pub_detail.asp#10-20-2005Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.500/pub_detail.aspThere can be no doubt about the power of California& rsquo;s public-employee unions. The expensive months-long media campaign waged by these unions against the paycheck protection initiative is itself a grim testimony to the unions& rsquo; ability to extort hard-earned dollars from the salaries of their members in the form of forced union dues.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.500/pub_detail.asp#9-1-2005Thu, 1 Sep 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2680/pub_detail.aspTo get directory information on charter schools, click on this page.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2680/pub_detail.asp#8-15-2005Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.288/pub_detail.aspCharter schools, unlike traditional public schools, must demonstrate that they can meet the bottom line & ndash; student performance. To reach this goal, they must adopt practices that are proven to work, unlike their standard public school counterparts. As a result, they are making tremendous strides in boosting student achievement, and often in low-income communities where most of the other district schools are failing. Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.288/pub_detail.asp#8-1-2005Mon, 1 Aug 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.568/pub_detail.aspGiven the importance of education to the success of California& rsquo;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.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.568/pub_detail.asp#5-1-2005Sun, 1 May 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2341/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - Testing is critical in determining the academic preparedness of students entering higher education. For instance, the California State University uses placement exams to determine if students require remedial English or math in order to have the skills necessary to complete their coursework successfully. Yet, no test is used to determine the skill levels of the many more students who opt for vocational education at community colleges. There is a test, however, that can fill that void and it would be cost-free to students and colleges.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2341/pub_detail.asp#4-29-2005Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2334/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - The 335,000-member California Teachers Association (CTA), the state& #39;s most powerful union, is airing radio spots claiming that Governor Schwarzenegger wants to & quot;stiff our kids for $2 billionevery year!& #39;& #39; Does he?Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2334/pub_detail.asp#3-10-2005Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2332/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - A recent RAND report showing that California& #39;s per-pupil spending lags behind the national average has become a key weapon for education interest groups. But there are problems with the report that warrant caution.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2332/pub_detail.asp#2-23-2005Wed, 23 Feb 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2329/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - Although Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger& #39;s proposed budget increases education spending by nearly $3 billion, education interest groups are shooting for an even bigger share of the pie. One of their most controversial strategies is to bypass the legislative process and push for more spending through the courts.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2329/pub_detail.asp#2-2-2005Wed, 2 Feb 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2327/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - In his recent & quot;state of education& quot; speech, Jack O& #39;Connell, California& #39;s Superintendent of Public Instruction, linked poor student performance to a lack of funding. Legislators skeptical of this claimshould compare what other states are getting for their dollars.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2327/pub_detail.asp#1-27-2005Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2324/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - Arnold Schwarzenegger is proving that he is truly the reformer that Californians hoped he would be when they elected him governor. While his rumored budget reforms got the most buzz before his state of the state address, his proposal to overturn teacher tenure and link teacher pay to merit and performance epitomizes his willingness to take on the powerful special interests that control Sacramento.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2324/pub_detail.asp#1-5-2005Wed, 5 Jan 2005 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.184/pub_detail.aspCalifornia has made some important progress in improving its public education system. The state has perhaps the best set of academic content standards in the country. The testing and accountability systems are now aligned with those standards. Yet, despite these advances, much more needs to be done in order to raise student achievement to the levels required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and by the demands of parents and the public.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.184/pub_detail.asp#12-1-2004Wed, 1 Dec 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3230/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3230/pub_detail.asp#12-1-2004Wed, 1 Dec 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2316/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - With a clear victory Tuesday, President Bush now has the opportunity to enact significant education reform in a second term.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2316/pub_detail.asp#11-4-2004Thu, 4 Nov 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2312/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - The University of California recently raised the bar for admissions, amid an uproar of protests that its decision will hinder enrollment of disadvantaged students. One of the most controversial changes was to raise the minimum grade point average from 2.8 to 3.0.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2312/pub_detail.asp#10-6-2004Wed, 6 Oct 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2299/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - The federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates that every child be proficient in math and reading by 2013-14. The way California has structured its targets for meeting the NCLB requirements almost guarantees that the state& #39;s schools will come up short. A major problem is the way California reports student test scores.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2299/pub_detail.asp#7-15-2004Thu, 15 Jul 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2296/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - While Ronald Reagan& #39;s foreign policy changed the face of the world, it shouldn& #39;t be forgotten that his leadership also dramatically changed the face of issues at home. Top among those was education.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2296/pub_detail.asp#6-23-2004Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2292/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - Our recent column about the Economist magazine& #39;s survey of California did not address its section on education. So we now turn to that topic.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2292/pub_detail.asp#6-3-2004Thu, 3 Jun 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3229/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3229/pub_detail.asp#6-1-2004Tue, 1 Jun 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2291/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - If you enter a hospital, do you want to be attended by a nurse who was admitted to a nursing program based on merit or on a random lottery system? Most Californians would naturally say merit. It would, therefore, shock people to learn that many nursing programs in California ignore the qualifications of applicants in favor of a luck-of-the-draw lottery.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2291/pub_detail.asp#5-26-2004Wed, 26 May 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2287/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - Ample research confirms that teacher quality has a large effect on student performance. Good teachers raise student achievement levels, while poor ones keep them down. California& #39;s recent efforts to ensure high-quality teachers in the classroom, however, have been misguided and deceptive.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2287/pub_detail.asp#4-28-2004Wed, 28 Apr 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2286/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - The California Teachers Association had been up to their usual business of resisting reform, and plotting to raise taxes through yet another ballot measure, the & quot;Improving Classroom Education Act.& #39;& #39; Then on April 8 the CTA withdrew its initiative, to the benefit of both students and taxpayers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2286/pub_detail.asp#4-22-2004Thu, 22 Apr 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2282/pub_detail.aspOn March 15, some 5,000 community college students, more by some counts, descended on California& #39;s capitol, hoisting signs, denouncing the governor and bellowing that they had been betrayed. The casual observer might have wondered if this was a protest against the war in Iraq. Turns out, it was something else.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2282/pub_detail.asp#3-24-2004Wed, 24 Mar 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2281/pub_detail.aspThe controversy over American jobs going overseas has so far largely overlooked the key factor of poor-quality American education. American companies, faced with a domestic labor pool deficient in even basic knowledge and skills, are financing the math and science education of students in foreign countries. Yet, despite the implications of this trend, California has reduced the difficulty of math requirements for students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2281/pub_detail.asp#3-18-2004Thu, 18 Mar 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2280/pub_detail.aspThe passage of Proposition 55, the Facilities Bond Act of 2004, is bad news for Californians. But there are ways legislators can mitigate the damage.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2280/pub_detail.asp#3-10-2004Wed, 10 Mar 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.394/pub_detail.aspThe Cal State System accepts the top one-third of California& rsquo;s high-school graduates. But too many of the best students arrive unprepared. This study explains why California& rsquo;s K-12 system fails to prepare students for college and what the state needs to do about itPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.394/pub_detail.asp#3-1-2004Mon, 1 Mar 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2769/pub_detail.aspMarch 2004 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2769/pub_detail.asp#3-1-2004Mon, 1 Mar 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2278/pub_detail.aspOf the propositions on the March 2nd ballot, the deficit bond and the spending cap have garnered the most media attention. However, findings in a recent Pacific Research Institute report should cause voters to weigh extra carefully the pros and cons of the massive $12.3 bond for school facilities that will also appear on the ballot.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2278/pub_detail.asp#2-25-2004Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2277/pub_detail.aspLast month, California& #39;s Legislative Analyst (LAO), the state& #39;s nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor, issued & quot;Assessing California& #39;s Charter Schools.& #39;& #39; This report should lead legislators to strengthen and expand the state& #39;s charter option, now entering its second decade.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2277/pub_detail.asp#2-18-2004Wed, 18 Feb 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2276/pub_detail.aspThe latest remediation figures bring more evidence that California& #39;s K-12 education system is failing and that current attempts to fix the problem are not working.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2276/pub_detail.asp#2-11-2004Wed, 11 Feb 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.392/pub_detail.aspThe growing student population in California demands facilities to be built in a timely manner. However, the Field Act places a bureaucratic maze on approving school construction, creating a lengthy building process of six years or more, raising costs from one third to one half higher than those of the private sector. No Place to Learn explains these problems and offers reforms to reduce bureaucracy and costs.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.392/pub_detail.asp#1-1-2004Thu, 1 Jan 2004 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2764/pub_detail.aspDecember 2003 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2764/pub_detail.asp#12-31-2003Wed, 31 Dec 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3228/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3228/pub_detail.asp#12-1-2003Mon, 1 Dec 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2266/pub_detail.aspJohn Moores, chairman of the University of California board of regents, recently ignited a firestorm when he released two reports on the UC admissions process. The reports found that students with low test scores were being admitted to UC Berkeley and that many such students dropped out. But is this aquestion of test scores or a racial balancing scheme that isn& #39;t working?Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2266/pub_detail.asp#11-26-2003Wed, 26 Nov 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2262/pub_detail.aspWith another large budget deficit facing California in 2004-05, conventional thinking isn& #39;t going to get the fiscal job done. Even the sacred cow of education funding shouldn& #39;t be exempt from new and better scrutiny. Assemblywoman Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) has an idea that would save hundreds of millions of dollars per year, but which challenges the way early education has been done in California for years.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2262/pub_detail.asp#11-5-2003Wed, 5 Nov 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2253/pub_detail.aspWhen the California Department of Education recently released the results of the 2003 state tests, Gov. Davis quickly slapped his own back. With scores generally up, Davis boasted that his administration& rsquo;s investment in public education was paying off. Yet, the budget deal that Davis just signed contains bad decisions that threaten the baby-steps of achievement progress made by California students.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2253/pub_detail.asp#9-3-2003Wed, 3 Sep 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2256/pub_detail.aspHot on the heels of the controversial new law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, California lawmakers have sent two more bills to Governor Davis that aim to increase government benefits for illegals. Yet as politicians in Sacramento open up the goodie chest for lawbreakers, new data show that a large part of California& #39;s budget deficit can be attributed to the negative fiscal impact of immigration.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2256/pub_detail.asp#9-3-2003Wed, 3 Sep 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2760/pub_detail.aspAugust 2003 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2760/pub_detail.asp#8-31-2003Sun, 31 Aug 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2252/pub_detail.aspRecall madness has obscured a David-versus-Goliath drama that has resulted in a victory for some of the neediest students in California. This victory should guide legislators and brighten the hopes of students statewide.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2252/pub_detail.asp#8-27-2003Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2250/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO, CA - On August 15, California& rsquo;s education officials are scheduled to release student scores on the 2003 state standardized tests. While the results are an important indicator of student and school performance, there are other criteria that shouldn& rsquo;t be forgotten. A comprehensive overview of all key indicators is contained in the California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators, Third Edition, recently released by the Pacific Research Institute.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2250/pub_detail.asp#8-14-2003Thu, 14 Aug 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.190/pub_detail.aspWelcome to PRI& rsquo;s California Education Clearinghouse website! It provides a one-stop overview of the quality of education in California today & ndash; test scores, expenditures, dropout rates, standards, accountability, union contracts, school choice, and many other indicators.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.190/pub_detail.asp#8-1-2003Fri, 1 Aug 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2247/pub_detail.aspThe New York Times recently reported that Texas state auditors have found that Houston schools have been seriously undercounting the number of dropouts. Partisan critics are using the audit results to take shots at U.S. education secretary Rod Paige, a former Houston superintendent, arguing that the city& rsquo;s widely acclaimed education improvement is a myth. The critics, however, are missing the larger point that accountability systems must not create incentives for schools to cheat.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2247/pub_detail.asp#7-23-2003Wed, 23 Jul 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2246/pub_detail.aspIn 1993 California began allowing charter schools, deregulated schools within the government system that gain freedom from most regulations in return for meeting the goals of their founding charter. According to a Rand study released June 30, charter schools provide good news to a state that badly needs it.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2246/pub_detail.asp#7-16-2003Wed, 16 Jul 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2244/pub_detail.aspAs various commentators have rightly pointed out, the U.S. Supreme Court blew the University of Michigan race-preference cases. By making racial & ldquo;diversity& rdquo; a compelling state interest that justifies race-based college admissions, the Court made racial discrimination constitutional. Rather than engaging in recriminations, however, opponents of racial preferences should mobilize a nationwide campaign to enact anti-preference laws such as California& rsquo;s Proposition 209 in every state.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2244/pub_detail.asp#7-2-2003Wed, 2 Jul 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.516/pub_detail.aspIn 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.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.516/pub_detail.asp#7-1-2003Tue, 1 Jul 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2243/pub_detail.aspOn Monday the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a University of Michigan admission system that granted more points for race than key academic measures. But in another split decision, the court allowed a narrowly tailored use of race for admission to the University of Michigan law school.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2243/pub_detail.asp#6-25-2003Wed, 25 Jun 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2240/pub_detail.aspWith the continuing inadequate performance of the public schools, it is understandable that school-choice advocates have focused on empirical studies showing the improved achievement of students in various choice programs. While the use of empirical evidence to buttress the case is important, one cannot forget that the strongest arguments for school choice are moral and philosophical.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2240/pub_detail.asp#6-4-2003Wed, 4 Jun 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.286/pub_detail.aspPractices and procedures that seemed to make sense in an earlier time, now seem anachronistic at best, and fundamental impediments to growth at worst. Amacher and Meiners bring novel reflections to many of the most classic and widely recognized issues and topics facing American universities, including faculty tenure and & ldquo;dead wood,& rdquo; instruction of undergraduates by graduate assistants instead of faculty, tuition increases, outdated courses and majors, board of trustee oversight and administrative leadership, and (for public universities) system-wide governance, to name a few.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.286/pub_detail.asp#6-1-2003Sun, 1 Jun 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2239/pub_detail.aspLast week the Belmont Learning Center in Los Angeles, the most expensive high school in history with $175 million already spent, grew $111 million more expensive. While a disaster for students, the now $286 million & quot;Belmonster,& quot; as some call it, provides clear lessons about what is wrong with California& #39;s government education system.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2239/pub_detail.asp#5-28-2003Wed, 28 May 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2238/pub_detail.aspThe New York Times has been making headlines with the revelation that its star reporter, Jayson Blair, filed stories from places he had not been, freighted with quotes he made up, and filled with information either bogus or stolen from other writers. His work is in the tradition of Janet Cooke of the Washington Post, whose celebrated tale of a youthful junkie proved to be fiction, and fabulist Stephen Glass of The New Republic, now attempting to cash in on his fraud in a new book.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2238/pub_detail.asp#5-21-2003Wed, 21 May 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2237/pub_detail.aspIn a recent speech, Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association (CTA), blared, & quot;We have to fight to end these absurd tests that are biased, racist, and unfairly define kids and teachers as failures& quot; The CTA is sponsoring legislation that would effectively eliminate the state& #39;s high-school exit exam. A new study, however, shows that the exit exam has improved the quality of instruction.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2237/pub_detail.asp#5-14-2003Wed, 14 May 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2234/pub_detail.aspTeacher unions are the most powerful special interest in the state capitol and most local school districts, but many teachers do not agree with the unions& #39; liberal political positions. Until now, these teachers have been spared union propagandizing at school, but that may change soon.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2234/pub_detail.asp#4-24-2003Thu, 24 Apr 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.208/pub_detail.aspCalifornia has a booming population but abysmal performance in K& ndash;12 education. These conditions mean that the state needs to hire both more and better qualified teachers, all while it runs a deficit in the billions. Certified or Qualified? How California& rsquo;s Teacher Credentialing Process Harms Educational Quality examines the process of teacher certification and credentialing in California. Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.208/pub_detail.asp#4-1-2003Tue, 1 Apr 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2230/pub_detail.aspThe influential education research organization EdSource recently published a report that supports key findings in They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California. That Pacific Research Institute study, released in fall 2002, profiled eight public elementary schools whose low-income students achieved at high levels. The PRI study analyzed the curricula, teaching methods, standards implementation, and other factors at these schools and found a common formula for success.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2230/pub_detail.asp#3-25-2003Tue, 25 Mar 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2229/pub_detail.aspA new bill continues the California tradition of government by pronouncement, a practice that further distances the state from reality and adds to its image as a national laughing stock.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2229/pub_detail.asp#3-19-2003Wed, 19 Mar 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2227/pub_detail.aspThose who doubt that teacher unions are the largest obstacle to improving education in California should consider the recent policy proposals of the state& #39;s two major unions, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the California Teachers Association (CTA).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2227/pub_detail.asp#3-5-2003Wed, 5 Mar 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2223/pub_detail.aspGovernor Davis and others point to slight upticks in state test scores as proof that things are getting better in K-12 education. However, the recently released figures on remedial instruction at the California State University (CSU) show that the state has a long way to go before it can claim that it has turned the corner on student achievement.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2223/pub_detail.asp#2-5-2003Wed, 5 Feb 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2220/pub_detail.aspWhen Governor Gray Davis released his proposed 2003-04 state budget last week, there was lots to complain about, such as job-killing tax increases. That having been said, Davis correctly recommends that a slew of special-interest education spending programs be consolidated into a large block grant that will allow greater funding flexibility for local schools.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2220/pub_detail.asp#1-16-2003Thu, 16 Jan 2003 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2217/pub_detail.aspThose involved in what PRI calls & ldquo;grand theft education& rdquo; often get away with it. But not always, as shown by a recent $4.5 million judgment against outgoing state superintendent of education Delaine Eastin and the California Department of Education (CDE).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2217/pub_detail.asp#12-11-2002Wed, 11 Dec 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2216/pub_detail.aspWith so many students in California continuing to perform poorly, the newly proposed state master plan for education has been greatly anticipated. Although accurately recognizing many of the problems facing California& rsquo;s government-run school system, the plan has very significant flaws.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2216/pub_detail.asp#12-5-2002Thu, 5 Dec 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.292/pub_detail.aspA program of school choice would eliminate wasteful spending and provide higher quality education, according to Grand Theft Education: Wasteful Education Spending in California, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.292/pub_detail.asp#11-1-2002Fri, 1 Nov 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2208/pub_detail.aspListen to the finger-pointing comments of many public school officials and one would think that it& rsquo;s impossible for poor, minority students to perform well academically. Limited parental involvement, limited English ability, low parental education, and a litany of other excuses supposedly absolve public schools of responsibility for low student achievement. A new report by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), however, explodes these myths by highlighting high-performing, high-poverty public schools in California.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2208/pub_detail.asp#10-9-2002Wed, 9 Oct 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2206/pub_detail.aspEducation is the biggest expenditure in California and it just became more expensive because of corruption that state officials chose to overlook rather than correct.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2206/pub_detail.asp#9-25-2002Wed, 25 Sep 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2205/pub_detail.aspIt& rsquo;s quiz time. Identify who recently said the following: & ldquo;But on the local, state, and national levels, the leadership of the teacher unions has led the resistance against many reform efforts designed to enable parents to choose the most appropriate schools for their children. They influence legislators not only through millions of dollars of direct contributions to political campaigns each year, but also through their own political activities designed to elect legislators who will support them and defeat those who will not.& rdquo; A Republicanpolitician? A conservative think tank? Try the Roman Catholic bishops of New York State.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2205/pub_detail.asp#9-18-2002Wed, 18 Sep 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.564/pub_detail.aspCalifornia& #39;s public schools rank among the worst in the nation. Many educators and lawmakers blame the dismal results on insufficient funding. Yet, the state is also among the nation& #39;s biggest spenders on education. So what is behind California& #39;s failing grade?Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.564/pub_detail.asp#9-1-2002Sun, 1 Sep 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2201/pub_detail.aspPrior to Proposition 209, the University of California used race preferences to admit less academically qualified black and Hispanic students over more qualified Asians. Now, evidently uneasy that Asians make up nearly 40 percent of its undergraduates despite being only 11 percent of the state population, UC is again skirting 209 against high-achieving Asians.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2201/pub_detail.asp#8-21-2002Wed, 21 Aug 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2198/pub_detail.aspHome schooling is one of the fastest growing movements in the country. Yet its popularity and high student achievement have not stopped California& rsquo;s reactionary education establishment from launching an attack against home schoolers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2198/pub_detail.asp#7-31-2002Wed, 31 Jul 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2194/pub_detail.aspThe day before the Supreme Court ruled on the Cleveland school-choice plan, some addled jurist declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, thereby robbing the Cleveland decision of the attention it deserved. This was an emancipation proclamation.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2194/pub_detail.asp#7-3-2002Wed, 3 Jul 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2193/pub_detail.aspA key deficiency in California& rsquo;s school accountability system is the state& rsquo;s inability to track individualstudent test scores over time. Thus, it is impossible to discern the value added of curricula, programs, teaching methods, or other education policies on student performance. This situation may be changing, however, thanks to a bill recently approved by the state senate.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2193/pub_detail.asp#6-26-2002Wed, 26 Jun 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.160/pub_detail.aspIn the face of continuing failure, it is time to consider an agenda for reform that effects fundamental changes in the current system and truly focuses on improving student achievement. The Pacific Research Institute offers the following ten-point plan.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.160/pub_detail.asp#6-1-2002Sat, 1 Jun 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2184/pub_detail.aspCalifornia seems to be school-bond crazy. Local bonds are being passed at rapid rates and lawmakers are pushing record-breaking state bonds. There are two stories here. First is the huge cost and increased tax burden resulting from these bonds. The second is that these bonds are necessary only because of massive failures of government policies in education and immigration.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2184/pub_detail.asp#4-19-2002Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2183/pub_detail.aspAs the famous adage has it, tragedy is sometimes repeated as farce. In California, farce is often repeated as farce. The latest exhibit comes in the form of a new bill by Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2183/pub_detail.asp#4-10-2002Wed, 10 Apr 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.417/pub_detail.aspThe University of California Regents have instituted a & ldquo;Comprehensive Review& rdquo; system for admissions, one purporting to consider the whole student instead of only grades and test scores. An examination of Comprehensive Review, however, reveals a backdoor attempt to reinstate racial preferences in college admissions, a practice the UC Regents themselves rejected in 1996, and since banned by the voter-approved Proposition 209.Comprehensive Review will also further degrade standards and achievement by sacrificing academic excellence to political correctness and a narrow concept of diversity.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.417/pub_detail.asp#4-1-2002Mon, 1 Apr 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.224/pub_detail.asp& ldquo;Thus far, the leading writers of the current school reform movement have shirked from a critical examination of teachers& rsquo; unions and collective bargaining,& rdquo; wrote Todd A. DeMitchell and Richard Fossey in their 1997 book The Limits of Law-Based School Reform. & ldquo;With very few exceptions, one will search in vain in the school reform literature for even the appearance of the word union.& rdquo;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.224/pub_detail.asp#3-1-2002Fri, 1 Mar 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2176/pub_detail.aspThe California Teachers Association (CTA) is incredibly rich and powerful, and with that wealth and power comes arrogance -- the arrogance of the schoolyard bully who cannot stand to be challenged. Truth is always the enemy of the bully, which is why the bully expends so much time and effort to eliminate dissent based on truth.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2176/pub_detail.asp#2-12-2002Tue, 12 Feb 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.220/pub_detail.aspAt a September 21, 2001 & ldquo;Fairness Hearing,& rdquo; federal district court judge William H. Orrick, Jr. heard arguments opposing the latest proposed modifications to the city& rsquo;s 20 year-old Consent Decree. The message conveyed by parents was clear: they refuse to return to the days in San Francisco Unified School District (& ldquo;SFUSD& rdquo; or the & ldquo;district& rdquo;) when school reform meant revamping student assignment policies, and multi-million dollar failed busing campaigns, all in the misguided hope that some new distribution of students & mdash; based on racial and socioeconomic background & mdash; would improve student achievement.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.220/pub_detail.asp#2-1-2002Fri, 1 Feb 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2173/pub_detail.aspThe big stories about government waste at the Pentagon, HEW, HUD, and, of course, the United States Department of Education, whose entire existence is a waste, make for the best news copy. This means that some lower-level stories, with more shocking examples of government waste, don& rsquo;t get as much ink as they should. Consider two cases, beginning with the city of Folsom, a short jump from the capital.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2173/pub_detail.asp#1-25-2002Fri, 25 Jan 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2171/pub_detail.aspIt was a national story just before Christmas but the nuances and implications are too rich to ignore. So here& rsquo;s the playback, with commentary.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2171/pub_detail.asp#1-11-2002Fri, 11 Jan 2002 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2169/pub_detail.aspIf there& rsquo;s been an economic downturn one would never know it from the way new cars are flying out of dealerships and into mall parking lots. But while there may be plenty of gifts under the tree for Californians, the state& rsquo;s public policy & ldquo;wish list& rdquo; is a long one.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2169/pub_detail.asp#12-18-2001Tue, 18 Dec 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.486/pub_detail.aspThe San Francisco school board recently approved new admissions criteria for the premier Lowell High School and School of the Arts (SOTA).1 The new policies are complete with percentage set-asides and & ldquo;benchmarks,& rdquo; and operate as quotas. Although the San Francisco Unified School District (& ldquo;SFUSD& rdquo;) promises parents and students that its recently approved Lowell/SOTA admissions policies will not lower the academic rigor and high standards at the city& rsquo;s premier high schools, that is but another promise that the district cannot keep.2Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.486/pub_detail.asp#12-15-2001Sat, 15 Dec 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2168/pub_detail.aspAs an education analyst, I& rsquo;ve often criticized the policies of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). From fiscal mismanagement to poor construction decisions to ideological adherence to failed programs, LAUSD has offered some inviting targets. However, legitimate critiques should be balanced with praise where it& rsquo;s due, and the recent increase in LAUSD& rsquo;s reading test scores warrants a pat on the back.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2168/pub_detail.asp#12-12-2001Wed, 12 Dec 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.142/pub_detail.aspA key problem with discussions concerning a proposed state budget is that historical perspective is often lost. The proposed budget may be compared to the budget in the current fiscal year, but beyond that, comparisons with budgets from even a few years ago are rarely made. The following talking points attempt to fill that void by examining how spending has increased over the years.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.142/pub_detail.asp#12-1-2001Sat, 1 Dec 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2166/pub_detail.aspEvery time there is a ballot measure for school choice, the education establishment screams that if we allow choice, the public will fall victim to quacks and fast-buck artists. Only the current guardians of the status quo, voters are told, can provide accountability. But in reality, it is when we do not have choice that the public falls victim to fast-buck artists, as shown by San Francisco.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2166/pub_detail.asp#11-29-2001Thu, 29 Nov 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2164/pub_detail.aspPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2164/pub_detail.asp#11-8-2001Thu, 8 Nov 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2162/pub_detail.aspThe president came to my hometown October 18 and I had the honor to be on stage with him as he delivered a stirring speech that made one proud to be an American. America is at war, but the clich& eacute; that war makes leaders is not true--look at Neville Chamberlain. In reality, true leaders must rise to the challenge of calamity, and that is exactly what George W. Bush has done. Listening to him in person, as I did on that October morning in Sacramento, and you know in your bones that although terrorists may have America under siege, we have a commander-in-chief who will ensure that we prevail in this deadly struggle.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2162/pub_detail.asp#10-23-2001Tue, 23 Oct 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2159/pub_detail.aspIn the blame game following the September 11 terrorist attacks, fingers are being pointed at lax airport security, inadequate intelligence gathering, and a ho-hum, it-can& rsquo;t-happen-here mentality. While these factors were important, the terrorists wouldn& rsquo;t have been in our country and wouldn& rsquo;t have been able to perpetrate their evil deeds except for the colossal failure of our immigration system.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2159/pub_detail.asp#10-4-2001Thu, 4 Oct 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.242/pub_detail.aspTeacher shortages in certain subject fields and in so-called hard-to-staff schools plague efforts to improve public education. Yet, the inability of educators and policymakers to think outside of the box of uniform wage rates for all teachers, regardless of supply and demand in various teaching fields, hampers any effective effort to address the shortage.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.242/pub_detail.asp#10-2-2001Tue, 2 Oct 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2156/pub_detail.aspUnder Gov. Gray Davis& rsquo;s school accountability program, enacted in 1999, low-performing schools were to be subject to a series of tough sanctions. It turns out, however, that not only are those sanctions paper tigers, but state lawmakers are in the process of ensuring that many low-performing schools face no sanctions for many years to come.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2156/pub_detail.asp#9-14-2001Fri, 14 Sep 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2153/pub_detail.aspExcept for a vocal band of extremists, most people see testing as a necessity for both the education and accountability process. Students must be tested to see if they are learning in the classroom and meeting the standards of knowledge enacted by our state policymakers. The question, however, is whether California& rsquo;s standardized test, the Stanford-9 (SAT-9) exam, actually accomplishes those goals. Because of key problems with the test, both the content and progress of learning remain unclear.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2153/pub_detail.asp#8-24-2001Fri, 24 Aug 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2147/pub_detail.asp At the June meeting of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, UC President Richard Atkinson tried to convince commissioners of the soundness of his plan to eliminate the SAT I as a UC admissions tool. Rather than make a persuasive case, however, Atkinson offered his version of the & quot;Great Bamboozle.& quot;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2147/pub_detail.asp#7-2-2001Mon, 2 Jul 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.529/pub_detail.aspBefore the San Francisco School Board granted the Charter, Edison Elementary School was one of the most notable failures in the District. For years the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) had failed to deliver on its obligation to provide a competitive education to students at then Edison Elementary School. Student test scores were among the worst in the state. Former principal Ken Romines recalls & ldquo;[j]ust coming to school was dangerous. Violence was so commonplace, students expected to get hurt or hurt others, and they said so.& rdquo;Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.529/pub_detail.asp#6-1-2001Fri, 1 Jun 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.260/pub_detail.aspResearch has shown that high student achievement is most strongly linked to high quality teachers. The question, though, is what makes a high quality teacher? Analyzing educators& rsquo; choice of teaching methodology is critical to answering this question.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.260/pub_detail.asp#4-1-2001Sun, 1 Apr 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.304/pub_detail.aspIn the coming months, public focus on faith-based and community-based alternatives to government services is likely to increase. Helping Hand calls attention to one such program in southern California, the Catholic Education Foundation, which acts in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to provide scholarships for needy children to attend Catholic schools. This study examines who these children are, how they compare to other Catholic-school students, and which public schools they would otherwise attend.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.304/pub_detail.asp#2-1-2001Thu, 1 Feb 2001 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3462/pub_detail.aspDuring an election year, fanciful ideas masquerade as serious policy proposals, offering simple solutions to complex problems. A case in point is U.S. Senate candidate Hillary Clinton& rsquo;s suggestion that the federal government supplement teacher salaries in school districts across the country.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3462/pub_detail.asp#11-3-2000Fri, 3 Nov 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.396/pub_detail.aspThis year& rsquo;s Stanford-9 achievement scores show that California students made slight gains over the last year. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), however, continues to trail far behind the state, county, and national averages.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.396/pub_detail.asp#10-1-2000Sun, 1 Oct 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3458/pub_detail.aspIn Failing Grade: Crisis and Reform in the Oakland Unified School District, Pacific Research charted one of the worst cases of educational failure in California and the nation.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3458/pub_detail.asp#10-1-2000Sun, 1 Oct 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.580/pub_detail.aspUnsatisfactory Performance finds that, contrary to prevailing beliefs, what most ails the teacher force is not a general shortage of qualified candidates, or inadequate government support. The real problem is that excellent teachers are not rewarded for their superior work, and failing teachers are rarely held accountable for their poor performance.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.580/pub_detail.asp#9-1-2000Fri, 1 Sep 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.265/pub_detail.aspDespite numerous efforts at reform, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is failing in its sole mission to provide quality education to Oakland& #39;s children. Student achievement data, dropout rates, college eligibility, remediation rates, and parental dissatisfaction statistics all testify to the failure of a district now poised for innovative change.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.265/pub_detail.asp#7-1-2000Sat, 1 Jul 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2097/pub_detail.aspIn war, it& rsquo;s common for field commanders to ignore orders issued by central headquarters. So, too, in education, changes in policy approved by voters or their elected representatives are routinely, if surreptitiously, flouted by educators in the field. The failure of many schools to implement Proposition 227, the successful 1998 California anti-bilingual-education initiative, is a case in point.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2097/pub_detail.asp#6-21-2000Wed, 21 Jun 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2085/pub_detail.aspWith a school-choice voucher initiative a likely possibility for California& #39;s November ballot, legal developments in states with voucher programs take on increased significance.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2085/pub_detail.asp#3-29-2000Wed, 29 Mar 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2082/pub_detail.aspLast week, the Pacific Research Institute released the California Index of Leading Education Indicators 2000 which lays out the latest data on public education in California, including test results, grade-point averages, dropout and graduation rates, course difficulty, teacher quality, education expenditures, and many other key factors. The recent analysis by the Legislative Analyst& rsquo;s Office (LAO) of Governor Gray Davis& rsquo;s proposed 2000& ndash;01 budget makes many of the same observations contained in the Index& rsquo;s section on education spending.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2082/pub_detail.asp#3-8-2000Wed, 8 Mar 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2081/pub_detail.aspCalifornia legislators, educators, and parents should prepare to counter some wrong-headed advice which is coming to the Golden State.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2081/pub_detail.asp#2-28-2000Mon, 28 Feb 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2079/pub_detail.aspSince 1994, I have been delivering a regular monthly radio commentary for KQED-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco. My on-air jabs at the follies of government have no doubt infuriated many, including my editor at the station, a former Democratic congressional staffer.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2079/pub_detail.asp#2-15-2000Tue, 15 Feb 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2812/pub_detail.aspThis new 2000 edition of the Index contains updated statistics, information on new topics such as direct instruction, and content and performance standards. Like its predecessor, the new edition seeks to answer fundamental questions concerning education in California. Is student achievement increasing or decreasing, and why? How much bang for the buck is California getting from its government education spending? What reforms hold the most promise in improving the performance of both students and school personnel? These and other questions will be addressed in the following pages.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2812/pub_detail.asp#2-1-2000Tue, 1 Feb 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3428/pub_detail.aspCalifornia legislators now have every reason to establish parental choice in education because the nation& rsquo;s longest running voucher program has left supporters of the status quo without a single argument.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3428/pub_detail.asp#2-1-2000Tue, 1 Feb 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.462/pub_detail.aspFor too long, federal regulations and funding have helped stymie education reform in California. Attention here and across the country should be directed to finding a substantive but limited role for the federal government to play. Washington can help by stepping out of the way, while empowering California students, parents, teachers, and policymakers to bypass federal bureaucracy and to improve the state& rsquo;s schools.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.462/pub_detail.asp#1-15-2000Sat, 15 Jan 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2073/pub_detail.aspAt a legislative hearing last year, prominent Democratic State Senators John Vasconcellos and Tom Hayden warned representatives of the public-education establishment that unless California& rsquo;s public schools improved soon they would consider supporting school-choice vouchers.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2073/pub_detail.asp#1-5-2000Wed, 5 Jan 2000 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2747/pub_detail.aspDecember 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2747/pub_detail.asp#12-31-1999Fri, 31 Dec 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2072/pub_detail.asp& quot;Our intention is to drive a stake through the heart of the culture that produced these results,& quot; said Howard Miller, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2072/pub_detail.asp#12-29-1999Wed, 29 Dec 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2070/pub_detail.aspFor years, critics of public education have complained about the phenomenon of social promotion. Under this dysfunctional policy, students are advanced to the next grade level even though they have clearly failed to master the subject matter in their current grade. In 1998, California enacted a law to eliminate this practice, but so far the law seems to have been wholly ineffective.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2070/pub_detail.asp#12-16-1999Thu, 16 Dec 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.372/pub_detail.aspMaking School Choice Work for All Families is the one of a three-part series, Templates for Legislative and Policy Reform. The other two templates address the issues of academic standards and charter schools. The series recommends best practices and legislative language and highlights problem areas that arise when policy deviates from those best practices.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.372/pub_detail.asp#12-1-1999Wed, 1 Dec 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2067/pub_detail.asp Do Catholic schools provide better quality education than public schools? Recent evidence suggests that they do. In a first of its kind study, the Heritage Foundation compared the math achievement of fourth- and eighth-graders in Washington, D.C.& rsquo;s Catholic and public schools. Looking at African-American students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, the Heritage study made some amazing discoveries.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2067/pub_detail.asp#11-23-1999Tue, 23 Nov 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.156/pub_detail.aspPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.156/pub_detail.asp#11-18-1999Thu, 18 Nov 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2066/pub_detail.aspIn recent years the California State Board of Education has proved serious about reform, pushing for tougher standards and statewide testing. But now the board is sending a strong signal that it will be turning back the clock to the days when the state& rsquo;s education establishment saw more spending as the answer to all problems.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2066/pub_detail.asp#11-16-1999Tue, 16 Nov 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2064/pub_detail.aspIt is ironic that despite the current rhetoric in favor of improving the rigor of K-12 education, there has also been a drumbeat to de-emphasize or eliminate the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). The UC Regents voted to admit pools of high school students on grades alone. The U.S. Department of Education issued a draft guideline saying that colleges should rethink their use of the SAT if it results in a disparate impact on minority admissions; and PBS& rsquo;s Frontline aired a segment questioning the validity and usefulness of the exam. The empirical evidence, however, clearly shows that the SAT is an effective tool in predicting the success of students in college.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2064/pub_detail.asp#11-3-1999Wed, 3 Nov 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2746/pub_detail.aspOctober 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2746/pub_detail.asp#10-31-1999Sun, 31 Oct 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2061/pub_detail.aspProposition 227, the anti-bilingual-education initiative, passed in a landslide last year. The public-education establishment unsurprisingly responded with a lawsuit to protect a failed system that was advancing barely seven percent of California& rsquo;s 1.4 million limited English proficiency (LEP) students to English fluency each year. In September, a state appellate court, thankfully, quashed these efforts.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2061/pub_detail.asp#10-12-1999Tue, 12 Oct 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2060/pub_detail.aspIn the film Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood is chasing a murderer across Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. But the detective& rsquo;s rather hefty partner can& rsquo;t climb the fence, so Eastwood tells him to & quot;take a walk, fatso.& quot; That message applies to California& rsquo;s ruling class, for similar reasons.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2060/pub_detail.asp#10-5-1999Tue, 5 Oct 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.212/pub_detail.aspCharter schools are deregulated public schools, free from most district and state oversight in exchange for meeting specific academic and financial standards over a fixed time period. The schools operate at public expense, and parents are free to choose them instead of sending their children to a standard public schoolPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.212/pub_detail.asp#10-1-1999Fri, 1 Oct 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3471/pub_detail.aspWhile politicians proclaim that the era of big government is over, a California Assembly bill, currently awaiting the governor& rsquo;s signature, will turn California school teachers into Big Brother& rsquo;s home snoops.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3471/pub_detail.asp#10-1-1999Fri, 1 Oct 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2745/pub_detail.aspSeptember 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2745/pub_detail.asp#9-30-1999Thu, 30 Sep 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2058/pub_detail.aspOver the last few weeks, a number of events, which can only be called outrages, have taken place in California. All have involved government acting at its worst.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2058/pub_detail.asp#9-22-1999Wed, 22 Sep 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2057/pub_detail.aspEvery time a measure for school choice comes along, state officials warn of chaos and claim that only the current education establishment can protect fiscal responsibility. Only the willfully blind can believe that claim in California, where left-wing organizations have been looting taxpayers, with the full assistance of public officials, aided and abetted by a biased and ignorant press.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2057/pub_detail.asp#9-14-1999Tue, 14 Sep 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3474/pub_detail.aspCalifornia& rsquo;s pervasive education woes are the subject of much discussion. Ongoing investigations suggest they may be traced to weak, irresponsible, and politicized leadership.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3474/pub_detail.asp#9-7-1999Tue, 7 Sep 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2744/pub_detail.aspAugust 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2744/pub_detail.asp#8-31-1999Tue, 31 Aug 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2743/pub_detail.aspJuly 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2743/pub_detail.asp#7-31-1999Sat, 31 Jul 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2050/pub_detail.aspWhen recently asked about charter schools, Gov. Gray Davis replied: & quot;I want to make sure that charter schools have every opportunity to succeed. . . . Free them from all the bureaucratic rules and regulations, and see if they can produce what counts--which are higher test scores.& quot; Despite his supportive rhetoric, however, Davis is pushing Senate Bill SB434, a measure that would not only tie up charter schools with new red tape, but would actually close down many charters.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2050/pub_detail.asp#7-20-1999Tue, 20 Jul 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3477/pub_detail.aspWhen legislators return from summer recess they will find the pathway to educational choice clearer and more broad than ever before. The nation& rsquo;s children now enjoy influential allies among the ranks of liberals and Democrats, and a plan is on the table.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3477/pub_detail.asp#7-2-1999Fri, 2 Jul 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2742/pub_detail.aspJune 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2742/pub_detail.asp#6-30-1999Wed, 30 Jun 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3480/pub_detail.aspA recently released Public Agenda survey, Kids These Days & lsquo;99: What Americans Really Think About the Next Generation, reveals that Americans are no longer looking to government to help kids. Instead they want a return to parental responsibility and accountability.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3480/pub_detail.asp#6-8-1999Tue, 8 Jun 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2741/pub_detail.aspMay 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2741/pub_detail.asp#5-31-1999Mon, 31 May 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.240/pub_detail.aspUnlike other education reform proposals, there is nearly universal agreement that education standards can be an important tool in improving student achievement. Standards inform students and their parents what society considers essential knowledge that children should learn during their K-12 education.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.240/pub_detail.asp#5-1-1999Sat, 1 May 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3485/pub_detail.aspIn 1993 California passed a law authorizing charter schools, deregulated schools within the public system that gain freedom from burdensome education codes in return for meeting the goals of their founding & quot;charter.& quot; Convinced that charter schools bring about revolutionary change, good for students, parents, and teachers alike, the state legislature expanded that law last year. But after two steps forward, California is poised to take a giant step back.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3485/pub_detail.asp#4-26-1999Mon, 26 Apr 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2739/pub_detail.aspMarch 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2739/pub_detail.asp#3-31-1999Wed, 31 Mar 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3226/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3226/pub_detail.asp#3-1-1999Mon, 1 Mar 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2738/pub_detail.aspFebruary 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2738/pub_detail.asp#2-28-1999Sun, 28 Feb 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.537/pub_detail.aspThe Legislators& rsquo; Guide to Children& rsquo;s Issues 1999 provides lawmakers free-market approaches to a variety of issues affecting children.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.537/pub_detail.asp#2-1-1999Mon, 1 Feb 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2737/pub_detail.aspJanuary 1999 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2737/pub_detail.asp#1-31-1999Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2736/pub_detail.aspDecember 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2736/pub_detail.asp#12-31-1998Thu, 31 Dec 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.193/pub_detail.aspSince the mid-1990s, California& rsquo;s state spending has been increasing at an impressive pace. Governor Gray Davis& rsquo;s most recent budget proposal is $102 billion& mdash;almost eight percent higher than last year& rsquo;s proposed budget& mdash;and does not fully account for changing economic conditions and the state& rsquo;s electricity crisis. Figure 1 in this study breaks down the governor& rsquo;s proposed budget by spending area.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.193/pub_detail.asp#12-1-1998Tue, 1 Dec 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3223/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3223/pub_detail.asp#12-1-1998Tue, 1 Dec 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2735/pub_detail.aspNovember 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2735/pub_detail.asp#11-30-1998Mon, 30 Nov 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3244/pub_detail.aspGiven the recent acclaim and fervor surrounding the latest pro-affirmative action book, some of our nation& rsquo;s most influential educators need to be reminded that one should not judge a book by its cover. The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions (Princeton University Press, 1998) by William G. Bowen and Derek Bok, former presidents of Princeton and Harvard Universities, provides data on black students in a variety of areas including marital status, educational attainment, earnings, and occupation.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3244/pub_detail.asp#11-10-1998Tue, 10 Nov 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2734/pub_detail.aspOctober 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2734/pub_detail.asp#10-31-1998Sat, 31 Oct 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2733/pub_detail.aspSeptember 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2733/pub_detail.asp#9-30-1998Wed, 30 Sep 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3222/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3222/pub_detail.asp#9-1-1998Tue, 1 Sep 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2732/pub_detail.aspAugust 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2732/pub_detail.asp#8-31-1998Mon, 31 Aug 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.552/pub_detail.aspIf one gauged the well-being of children strictly by the flurry of alarming media accounts and the rhetoric of child welfare advocates, one might believe that American children stand in dire peril. Politicians compound this problem with their fever-pitch crusades claiming to champion the cause of children.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.552/pub_detail.asp#8-1-1998Sat, 1 Aug 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2731/pub_detail.aspJuly 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2731/pub_detail.asp#7-31-1998Fri, 31 Jul 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2730/pub_detail.aspJune 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2730/pub_detail.asp#6-30-1998Tue, 30 Jun 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2729/pub_detail.aspMay 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2729/pub_detail.asp#5-31-1998Sun, 31 May 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2460/pub_detail.aspThe drop in minority enrollment at the University of California has administrators exploring new ways of maintaining diversity while admitting students without regard to their race or ethnicity. A current proposal, to be voted on in July, would grant automatic admission to the top four percent of the graduates of each California high school. While this sounds fair and efficient, it is neither and will likely make the problem worse.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2460/pub_detail.asp#5-19-1998Tue, 19 May 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2728/pub_detail.aspApril 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2728/pub_detail.asp#4-30-1998Thu, 30 Apr 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3220/pub_detail.aspPRI& #39;s Quarterly NewsletterPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.3220/pub_detail.asp#3-1-1998Sun, 1 Mar 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2726/pub_detail.aspFebruary 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2726/pub_detail.asp#2-28-1998Sat, 28 Feb 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2725/pub_detail.aspJanuary 1998 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2725/pub_detail.asp#1-31-1998Sat, 31 Jan 1998 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2724/pub_detail.aspDecember 1997 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2724/pub_detail.asp#12-31-1997Wed, 31 Dec 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2723/pub_detail.aspNovember 1997 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2723/pub_detail.asp#11-30-1997Sun, 30 Nov 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2722/pub_detail.aspOctober 1997 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2722/pub_detail.asp#10-31-1997Fri, 31 Oct 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2721/pub_detail.aspSeptember 1997 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2721/pub_detail.asp#9-30-1997Tue, 30 Sep 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2720/pub_detail.aspAugust 1997 PRI Ideas in ActionPolicy Update and Monthly Impact ReportPublicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.2720/pub_detail.asp#8-31-1997Sun, 31 Aug 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1922/pub_detail.aspSACRAMENTO-Over the past few weeks, the ebonics debate has dominated an otherwise slow news season. Everyone has weighed in with their opinion. Jesse Jackson, in fact, has given several (his initial opinion was shockingly sensible, which no doubt dismayed himself and his allies, and he has been backtracking ever since).Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.1922/pub_detail.asp#1-8-1997Wed, 8 Jan 1997 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.169/pub_detail.aspThe California state civil service has pursued policies of & quot;affirmative action& quot; for more than 25 years. In 1971, then Governor Ronald Reagan signed Executive Order (E.O.) No. R-34-71, which stated & quot;justice demands that every citizen consciously adopt and accentuate a personal commitment to affirmative action which will make equal opportunity a reality.& quot; The legislature built on Reagan& #39;s E.O. in 1977, giving the State Personnel Board (SPB) responsibility for coordinating the state& #39;s affirmative action efforts and for assisting departments in setting hiring goals and timetables.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.169/pub_detail.asp#10-1-1996Tue, 1 Oct 1996 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.562/pub_detail.aspThe University of California has a problem. Its mission, as outlined in the University of California& #39;s Master Plan, is to educate those students performing academically in the top 12.5 percent of California& #39;s graduating high school class. It is also charged with ensuring diversity by two Assembly Concurrent Resolutions (ACR 151 in 1974 and ACR 83 in 1984.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.562/pub_detail.asp#5-1-1996Wed, 1 May 1996 00:00:00 ESThttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.201/pub_detail.aspOn July 20, 1995, the University of California Regents, the 26 member governing board of America& #39;s most prestigious public university system, voted to end racial preferences in admissions, hiring and contracting. The culmination of 13 hours of often acrimonious testimony, protest, and debate, the Regents& #39; vote was hailed by opponents of race-based preferences as the beginning of color-blind decision making at the University of California.Publicationshttp://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/id.201/pub_detail.asp#9-1-1995Fri, 1 Sep 1995 00:00:00 EST