Education
California
A New Lesson for California School Superintendent
When middle-class parents in California opened their newspapers recently and read that the leviathan Los Angeles Unified School District had overpaid their employees by $53 million, many likely took comfort in the belief that at least the school districts in their own cozy suburban neighborhoods were well managed. These parents, ...
Commentary
What Bill Gates says “Isn’t Supposed to Happen” – Did
Bill Gates, one of the most successful men in history, has weighed in on a problem that will prevent others from achieving success like his. American students now languish near the bottom on international rankings. “This isn’t supposed to happen,” Bill Gates told Oprah Winfrey on an August 7, 2008, ...
Commentary
Expel ‘Promote Now, Pay Later’
Last month, Californians were stunned to learn that around one in four high school students drops out, almost twice as many as the state previously reported. In districts like Grant Joint Union High, more than one in three dropout. Yet even when students stay in school, the question is how ...
Commentary
Florida Low-Income and Minority Students Outperform Average California Students
San Francisco—The 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. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida ...
Commentary
Why is The Budget Always Late?
Systemic Problems Cause Budget Woes Longtime California residents may have noticed a trend in state politics: The California State Budget is almost never passed by the constitutionally-mandated deadline, July 1. This year is no different. In fact, the state budget hasn’t been passed on time for three years, and the ...
Education
Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps
The 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. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida consistently ...
Commentary
KGO NewsTalk Radio interview with Lance Izumi: English Immersion vs Bilingual Education in California
Ron Owens Show, KGO NewsTalk Radio 810 AM, August 4, 2008 Lance Izumi, Senior Fellow in California Studies and Education for Pacific Research Institute discusses immersion versus bilingual teaching for non-English speaking students. This interview occurred at 10:00 AM on the Ron Owens show.
Commentary
Exit exam can help special-ed students succeed
San Francisco school officials and advocates for the disabled have recently made news fighting the state requirement that special education students take the high school exit exam. Upon closer inspection, this seeming issue of simple compassion becomes much more complicated. Students must pass the state high school exit exam, first ...
Business & Economics
Impact – July 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – July 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions.
Commentary
Demography Is Not Destiny: Florida Schools California
Today California ranks 48th in basic reading and math skills. A challenging student population is a popular scapegoat, especially Hispanic students.” By this “logic,” Hispanic populations are growing rapidly, Hispanic students under-perform, therefore southwestern states are doomed. But states like Florida prove demography is not destiny. “A decade ago, Florida ...
A New Lesson for California School Superintendent
When middle-class parents in California opened their newspapers recently and read that the leviathan Los Angeles Unified School District had overpaid their employees by $53 million, many likely took comfort in the belief that at least the school districts in their own cozy suburban neighborhoods were well managed. These parents, ...
What Bill Gates says “Isn’t Supposed to Happen” – Did
Bill Gates, one of the most successful men in history, has weighed in on a problem that will prevent others from achieving success like his. American students now languish near the bottom on international rankings. “This isn’t supposed to happen,” Bill Gates told Oprah Winfrey on an August 7, 2008, ...
Expel ‘Promote Now, Pay Later’
Last month, Californians were stunned to learn that around one in four high school students drops out, almost twice as many as the state previously reported. In districts like Grant Joint Union High, more than one in three dropout. Yet even when students stay in school, the question is how ...
Florida Low-Income and Minority Students Outperform Average California Students
San Francisco—The 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. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida ...
Why is The Budget Always Late?
Systemic Problems Cause Budget Woes Longtime California residents may have noticed a trend in state politics: The California State Budget is almost never passed by the constitutionally-mandated deadline, July 1. This year is no different. In fact, the state budget hasn’t been passed on time for three years, and the ...
Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps
The 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. According to Demography Is Not Destiny: Reform Lessons from Florida on Overcoming Achievement Gaps, low-income students in Florida consistently ...
KGO NewsTalk Radio interview with Lance Izumi: English Immersion vs Bilingual Education in California
Ron Owens Show, KGO NewsTalk Radio 810 AM, August 4, 2008 Lance Izumi, Senior Fellow in California Studies and Education for Pacific Research Institute discusses immersion versus bilingual teaching for non-English speaking students. This interview occurred at 10:00 AM on the Ron Owens show.
Exit exam can help special-ed students succeed
San Francisco school officials and advocates for the disabled have recently made news fighting the state requirement that special education students take the high school exit exam. Upon closer inspection, this seeming issue of simple compassion becomes much more complicated. Students must pass the state high school exit exam, first ...
Impact – July 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – July 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions.
Demography Is Not Destiny: Florida Schools California
Today California ranks 48th in basic reading and math skills. A challenging student population is a popular scapegoat, especially Hispanic students.” By this “logic,” Hispanic populations are growing rapidly, Hispanic students under-perform, therefore southwestern states are doomed. But states like Florida prove demography is not destiny. “A decade ago, Florida ...
