Lance Izumi

Charter Schools

Lance Izumi Writes About Importance of Charter Schools in TeachThought

While most traditional public schools continue to adhere to a one-size-fits-all model of curriculum, instruction, and learning, sometimes dubbed the ‘McDonaldization’ of education, public charter schools have the flexibility to implement more individualized learning models that promote curiosity, inquiry, and critical thinking. In a recent article, Terry Heick observed, “in education as ...
Commentary

Common Core Has Failed America’s Students

Bill Gates, a key godfather of the Common Core subject-matter standards, wrote five years ago that the national standards “will improve education for millions of students,” but a groundbreaking new study shows that Common Core has actually decreased the level of student achievement. With irresistible prodding by Gates and then-President Obama, the ...
Charter Schools

SoCal NAACP Chapters Break with Unions Because Charter Schools Work

While a powerful front of liberal lawmakers and groups push for a moratorium on the creation of new charter schools in California, individual chapters of the NAACP have broken ranks to support charters that are improving the education for thousands of African-American children. To end teacher strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland, local school ...
Charter Schools

School Riots Underscore Why Parents Prefer School Choice

Over the last two months, riots at public schools across the country have underscored why parents choose safer charter schools for their children. In April, ten Stamford, Connecticut high school students were charged with numerous crimes, including first-degree riot and assault on a police officer, after a riot that involved hundreds of ...
Book

Just Released: New Book Shows Parents and Students are Choosing Diversity When Enrolling in Charter Schools

One of the key traits that distinguishes charter schools from traditional public schools is the diversity of educational experiences promoted by the ability to choose, writes Lance Izumi in his new book Choosing Diversity, published by the Pacific Research Institute. Watch a brief video of Izumi talking about his new ...
Blog

Why Are Teachers Mostly Liberal?

The wave of teacher strikes across the country, with their focus on killing education reforms such as charter schools, have focused attention on the ideology of teachers.  Many Americans are now asking: “Why are teachers so liberal?” Tom Rademacher, a Minnesota teacher of the year who writes for the Education ...
Blog

President Trump and An American Education Agenda

In early 2018, Pacific Research Institute released my publication An American Education Agenda, which included my five top reform recommendations for the federal government.  It is heartening to see that President Trump and his administration have addressed, in some form, most of my recommendations. The five federal recommendations in An ...
Agriculture

Don’t Scapegoat Charter Schools For School Districts’ Fiscal Woes

Governor Gavin Newsom’s move to have State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond create an expert panel to review the financial impact of charter schools on regular public schools, and put out a report by July, smells like an attempt to scapegoat charter schools. First, comments by the governor’s office ...
Charter Schools

Across the Country, Unions are Waging War on Charter Schools

A combination of powerful aggressive teacher unions and compliant state and local politicians have produced a perfect storm that threatens to destroy the future of charter schools and the children who benefit from them. Charter schools are publicly funded schools independent of school districts, which have more flexibility and autonomy ...
Charter Schools

Newsom Supports Charter Cap: Kids Will Suffer

An ominous aspect of the recent Los Angeles teachers strike settlement is the provision pushing for a halt on the number of charter schools. Although the 2017 L.A. school board elections resulted in a board majority favoring charter schools, in the strike settlement agreement The New York Times noted, “it ...
Charter Schools

Lance Izumi Writes About Importance of Charter Schools in TeachThought

While most traditional public schools continue to adhere to a one-size-fits-all model of curriculum, instruction, and learning, sometimes dubbed the ‘McDonaldization’ of education, public charter schools have the flexibility to implement more individualized learning models that promote curiosity, inquiry, and critical thinking. In a recent article, Terry Heick observed, “in education as ...
Commentary

Common Core Has Failed America’s Students

Bill Gates, a key godfather of the Common Core subject-matter standards, wrote five years ago that the national standards “will improve education for millions of students,” but a groundbreaking new study shows that Common Core has actually decreased the level of student achievement. With irresistible prodding by Gates and then-President Obama, the ...
Charter Schools

SoCal NAACP Chapters Break with Unions Because Charter Schools Work

While a powerful front of liberal lawmakers and groups push for a moratorium on the creation of new charter schools in California, individual chapters of the NAACP have broken ranks to support charters that are improving the education for thousands of African-American children. To end teacher strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland, local school ...
Charter Schools

School Riots Underscore Why Parents Prefer School Choice

Over the last two months, riots at public schools across the country have underscored why parents choose safer charter schools for their children. In April, ten Stamford, Connecticut high school students were charged with numerous crimes, including first-degree riot and assault on a police officer, after a riot that involved hundreds of ...
Book

Just Released: New Book Shows Parents and Students are Choosing Diversity When Enrolling in Charter Schools

One of the key traits that distinguishes charter schools from traditional public schools is the diversity of educational experiences promoted by the ability to choose, writes Lance Izumi in his new book Choosing Diversity, published by the Pacific Research Institute. Watch a brief video of Izumi talking about his new ...
Blog

Why Are Teachers Mostly Liberal?

The wave of teacher strikes across the country, with their focus on killing education reforms such as charter schools, have focused attention on the ideology of teachers.  Many Americans are now asking: “Why are teachers so liberal?” Tom Rademacher, a Minnesota teacher of the year who writes for the Education ...
Blog

President Trump and An American Education Agenda

In early 2018, Pacific Research Institute released my publication An American Education Agenda, which included my five top reform recommendations for the federal government.  It is heartening to see that President Trump and his administration have addressed, in some form, most of my recommendations. The five federal recommendations in An ...
Agriculture

Don’t Scapegoat Charter Schools For School Districts’ Fiscal Woes

Governor Gavin Newsom’s move to have State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond create an expert panel to review the financial impact of charter schools on regular public schools, and put out a report by July, smells like an attempt to scapegoat charter schools. First, comments by the governor’s office ...
Charter Schools

Across the Country, Unions are Waging War on Charter Schools

A combination of powerful aggressive teacher unions and compliant state and local politicians have produced a perfect storm that threatens to destroy the future of charter schools and the children who benefit from them. Charter schools are publicly funded schools independent of school districts, which have more flexibility and autonomy ...
Charter Schools

Newsom Supports Charter Cap: Kids Will Suffer

An ominous aspect of the recent Los Angeles teachers strike settlement is the provision pushing for a halt on the number of charter schools. Although the 2017 L.A. school board elections resulted in a board majority favoring charter schools, in the strike settlement agreement The New York Times noted, “it ...
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