Education
Blog
Flouting the Law: USDOJ Finds UC Med Schools Racially Discriminated
In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 209, which prohibited government, such as public universities, from discriminating or granting preferences based on race, sex, or ethnicity. After its approval, the language of the proposition became part of the state constitution. In 2020, an effort to overturn 209 was soundly defeated by ...
Lance Izumi
September 2, 2026
Blog
Young Americans Have Real Problems. Socialism Is the Wrong Answer.
That’s an extraordinary reversal and simply telling young Americans that socialism doesn’t work won’t reverse it. To make the case for free markets, we first have to understand why socialism is appealing to so many young Americans. Consider the Democratic Socialists of America have become a visible political force appealing ...
Anthony Velasquez
September 1, 2026
Blog
Alternative Catholic Education Models Gain Popularity and Attention
Recently, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on alternative Catholic education models at a retreat conference for the Order of Malta, which is a lay order of the Catholic Church founded a millennium ago and which focuses on medical, social, and humanitarian aid projects. The panel gave insight ...
Lance Izumi
June 29, 2026
Blog
America’s 250th Birthday and the Collapse of Civics Knowledge
Civics, according to education writer and longtime Los Angeles teacher Larry Sand, is “the study of what it means to be a citizen, focusing on the rights, duties, and responsibilities of community members,” and also “understanding how government functions, including citizens’ roles in voting, obeying laws, and participating in the ...
Lance Izumi
April 27, 2026
Classroom Ideology
Military schools have cracked the code for educating diverse students
America’s military schools are ranked the best in the nation. California should take note. The U.S. Department of Defense, through its Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) program, operates 160 K-12 schools in the U.S. and overseas. These schools at American military installations serve around 67,000 very diverse students who ...
Lance Izumi
April 6, 2026
Blog
Read the latest on fraud in California government
Fraud in California Community Colleges Spurs Congress to Act
Across the country, financial aid fraud in higher education has skyrocketed, causing big budgetary hits for colleges and negative impacts for law-abiding students in true need. Perhaps the biggest explosion in financial aid fraud has taken place in the nation’s largest system of higher education—the California Community Colleges. With 2.2 ...
Lance Izumi
April 1, 2026
Blog
How a Private Scholarship Fund Makes a Difference for Kids at a California Catholic School
Based in Oakland, The BASIC Fund is California’s largest non-denominational PreK-8 organization that gives needs-based scholarships to low-income children on a first-come, first-served basis to help pay for tuition so they can attend private schools. The BASIC Fund gives families the opportunity to choose from among more than 250 private ...
Lance Izumi
February 17, 2026
Blog
Newsom’s Proposed Ed Budget: Big Spending, Little Results
Under Newsom’s proposed budget, state and local education funding under Proposition 98 would come to $121.4 billion. If one combines funding from all sources, including federal dollars, then the budget would include $149.1 billion in total funding for all TK (transitional kindergarten)-12 education programs. These huge budget amounts translate into ...
Lance Izumi
January 19, 2026
Blog
Ni Estudian – Ni Trabajan – On California’s Poor Education System and Its Consequences for Public Safety
The prospects for California’s high school grads are not good as they face a shrinking job market and a correspondingly high youth unemployment rate. In Latin America, they are known as the “Nini’s” – out of school and out of work. According to a November 2025 LA Times article, a ...
Steve Smith
December 2, 2025
Blog
The BASIC Fund Gives Hope for a Better Education to Low-Income Children
According to the organization, “Scholarships are awarded on a sliding scale, covering 25%, 50%, or 75% of the Family Portion of the school’s tuition up to a maximum of $2,750 annually per child.” Thus, parents are asked to fund part of their child’s private school costs to ensure that the ...
Lance T. izumi
November 19, 2025
Flouting the Law: USDOJ Finds UC Med Schools Racially Discriminated
In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 209, which prohibited government, such as public universities, from discriminating or granting preferences based on race, sex, or ethnicity. After its approval, the language of the proposition became part of the state constitution. In 2020, an effort to overturn 209 was soundly defeated by ...
Young Americans Have Real Problems. Socialism Is the Wrong Answer.
That’s an extraordinary reversal and simply telling young Americans that socialism doesn’t work won’t reverse it. To make the case for free markets, we first have to understand why socialism is appealing to so many young Americans. Consider the Democratic Socialists of America have become a visible political force appealing ...
Alternative Catholic Education Models Gain Popularity and Attention
Recently, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on alternative Catholic education models at a retreat conference for the Order of Malta, which is a lay order of the Catholic Church founded a millennium ago and which focuses on medical, social, and humanitarian aid projects. The panel gave insight ...
America’s 250th Birthday and the Collapse of Civics Knowledge
Civics, according to education writer and longtime Los Angeles teacher Larry Sand, is “the study of what it means to be a citizen, focusing on the rights, duties, and responsibilities of community members,” and also “understanding how government functions, including citizens’ roles in voting, obeying laws, and participating in the ...
Military schools have cracked the code for educating diverse students
America’s military schools are ranked the best in the nation. California should take note. The U.S. Department of Defense, through its Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) program, operates 160 K-12 schools in the U.S. and overseas. These schools at American military installations serve around 67,000 very diverse students who ...
Read the latest on fraud in California government
Fraud in California Community Colleges Spurs Congress to Act
Across the country, financial aid fraud in higher education has skyrocketed, causing big budgetary hits for colleges and negative impacts for law-abiding students in true need. Perhaps the biggest explosion in financial aid fraud has taken place in the nation’s largest system of higher education—the California Community Colleges. With 2.2 ...
How a Private Scholarship Fund Makes a Difference for Kids at a California Catholic School
Based in Oakland, The BASIC Fund is California’s largest non-denominational PreK-8 organization that gives needs-based scholarships to low-income children on a first-come, first-served basis to help pay for tuition so they can attend private schools. The BASIC Fund gives families the opportunity to choose from among more than 250 private ...
Newsom’s Proposed Ed Budget: Big Spending, Little Results
Under Newsom’s proposed budget, state and local education funding under Proposition 98 would come to $121.4 billion. If one combines funding from all sources, including federal dollars, then the budget would include $149.1 billion in total funding for all TK (transitional kindergarten)-12 education programs. These huge budget amounts translate into ...
Ni Estudian – Ni Trabajan – On California’s Poor Education System and Its Consequences for Public Safety
The prospects for California’s high school grads are not good as they face a shrinking job market and a correspondingly high youth unemployment rate. In Latin America, they are known as the “Nini’s” – out of school and out of work. According to a November 2025 LA Times article, a ...
The BASIC Fund Gives Hope for a Better Education to Low-Income Children
According to the organization, “Scholarships are awarded on a sliding scale, covering 25%, 50%, or 75% of the Family Portion of the school’s tuition up to a maximum of $2,750 annually per child.” Thus, parents are asked to fund part of their child’s private school costs to ensure that the ...