Lance Izumi

California

What do the Common Core Test results Really Tell Us?

When the California Department of Education recently released the results of the 2015 Common Core math and English tests, officials attributed the low student scores to the increased rigor of both the new standards and the new test. However, the real reasons are not so simple, and much more worrying. ...
Commentary

Are suburban schools as good as parents think?

Are the Michigan public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents think so. But many middle-class, suburban schools are not as good as parents think. That’s the finding of a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, which found evidence of widespread underachievement in Michigan. The ...
Commentary

Why Your State Should Copy Nevada’s School Choice Plan

With new research showing widespread underperformance among middle class students in states across the country, Nevada’s recently enacted nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program could not have come at a better time. Under Nevada’s new program, for parents earning above the low-income level, the state will deposit funds totaling ...
Commentary

All states should emulate Nevada’s Universal School Choice plan

With a landmark stroke of his pen, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval recently signed legislation establishing the nation’s first statewide school-choice education-savings-account program available to all parents, regardless of their income level. With new studies showing widespread underperformance among middle-class children across the country, other states should implement similar programs immediately. ...
Blended Learning

Moonshots in Education

Moonshots in Education helps teachers “shoot for the moon.” As research has consistently shown, learning—success in school and beyond is related to one’s ability to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Moonshots provides examples of successful blended learning methods in classrooms around the United States and the world, and offers a ...
Education

Not as Good as You Think: Michigan

Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Many middle-class Michiganders think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Detroit, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many Michigan public schools ...
Education

Not As Good As You Think – Texas

Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line neighborhoods and pricey homes – the ...
Commentary

The Reality of Common Core in the Classroom

If one asked most people a couple years ago about the Common Core national education standards, the response would have been a blank stare. Now, Common Core is a front-burner political issue because parents are discovering that their children are struggling under the new standards. Common Core is a set ...
California

Killing fair play for charter schools

Recently, the enemies of school choice won a significant victory. A small, but very important, amendment to the California Education Code, Assembly Bill 2225 by Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, died in the Assembly education committee – voted down by Democrats in a party-line vote. This bill merely said that ...
Education

Not as Good as You Think

Why Middle-Class Parents in Illinois Should Be Concerned about Their Local Public Schools — Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
California

What do the Common Core Test results Really Tell Us?

When the California Department of Education recently released the results of the 2015 Common Core math and English tests, officials attributed the low student scores to the increased rigor of both the new standards and the new test. However, the real reasons are not so simple, and much more worrying. ...
Commentary

Are suburban schools as good as parents think?

Are the Michigan public schools that serve mostly middle-class students performing well? Lots of parents think so. But many middle-class, suburban schools are not as good as parents think. That’s the finding of a new study from the Pacific Research Institute, which found evidence of widespread underachievement in Michigan. The ...
Commentary

Why Your State Should Copy Nevada’s School Choice Plan

With new research showing widespread underperformance among middle class students in states across the country, Nevada’s recently enacted nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program could not have come at a better time. Under Nevada’s new program, for parents earning above the low-income level, the state will deposit funds totaling ...
Commentary

All states should emulate Nevada’s Universal School Choice plan

With a landmark stroke of his pen, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval recently signed legislation establishing the nation’s first statewide school-choice education-savings-account program available to all parents, regardless of their income level. With new studies showing widespread underperformance among middle-class children across the country, other states should implement similar programs immediately. ...
Blended Learning

Moonshots in Education

Moonshots in Education helps teachers “shoot for the moon.” As research has consistently shown, learning—success in school and beyond is related to one’s ability to face challenges and overcome obstacles. Moonshots provides examples of successful blended learning methods in classrooms around the United States and the world, and offers a ...
Education

Not as Good as You Think: Michigan

Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Many middle-class Michiganders think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Detroit, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again. Based on a variety of indicators, many Michigan public schools ...
Education

Not As Good As You Think – Texas

Read the Press Release Download the Complete Study Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line neighborhoods and pricey homes – the ...
Commentary

The Reality of Common Core in the Classroom

If one asked most people a couple years ago about the Common Core national education standards, the response would have been a blank stare. Now, Common Core is a front-burner political issue because parents are discovering that their children are struggling under the new standards. Common Core is a set ...
California

Killing fair play for charter schools

Recently, the enemies of school choice won a significant victory. A small, but very important, amendment to the California Education Code, Assembly Bill 2225 by Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, died in the Assembly education committee – voted down by Democrats in a party-line vote. This bill merely said that ...
Education

Not as Good as You Think

Why Middle-Class Parents in Illinois Should Be Concerned about Their Local Public Schools — Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
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