Public Schools

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Read about SF's turn to the right

San Francisco voters turn to the right on crime and schools

The most controversial, Measure E, passed 54% to 46%. It allowed the following: After a public hearing, the chief of police could install surveillance devices without the approval of the Police Commission; Police could use drones to pursue vehicles and for investigations, including facial recognition, without the approval of the ...
Blog

Learn About Latest Ineffective Education Spending

Lawsuit Settlement Forces Accountability on California’s Spending for Student Learning Loss

After sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s unaccountable education spending proposals, I was happily surprised to see my criticisms vindicated in a recent court settlement that will force the state to finally demonstrate that its spending programs actually produce positive outcomes for students. In Governor Newsom’s proposed 2024-25 budget, he included ...
Blog

Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget

Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster

With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit.  Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
Blog

Lessons from PRI’s School Board Member Conferences: Your Superintendent Does Not Have the Final Say – You Do.

The highlight of these events, however, was the opportunities for school board members to network and meet like-minded people fighting the same fight in their districts. Many of the school board members in attendance are in the minority on their boards, some being the lone voice of reason. Many are ...
Commentary

Read about California's latest test scores

California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate

Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
Classroom Ideology

Listen to interview on PRI's school board survey

Listen to Lance Izumi on the Lars Larson Show: Is there a need for improvement among school boards?

TheLarsLarsonShow · Lance Izumi Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
Charter Schools

Read about PRI's new national education survey

New Poll Shows Voters See Room for Improvement in School Boards

The just-released national survey, conducted for the Pacific Research Institute by Echelon Insights, found that 49% of respondents said that their local public school boards were fair/poor/very poor. Just 36% thought their boards were excellent or good. Those who rated their school board’s performance as poor or very poor were ...
Crime

Wayne Winegarden – Free Cities Index

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study “The Free Cities Index.”  Many of America’s cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans.  Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, ...
Education

Read new survey on public education

New PRI Poll: As New School Year Begins, Voters See Room for Improvement with Local Schools

SACRAMENTO – As students head back to school, a new national survey commissioned by the California-based, nonpartisan, free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute finds that voters are more dissatisfied with their local school boards than their neighborhood schools, and see room for improvement in public education. When asked how ...
Blog

Read about latest attacks on charter schools

Los Angeles and Oakland Get “F” Grades for Charter Funding Gaps

The University of Arkansas study compared funding for regular public schools and charter schools in 18 cities across the country using 2019-2020 budget data.  Historically, regular public schools have been funded more generously than charter schools, which are autonomous publicly funded schools independent of school districts, but that gap is ...
Blog

Read about SF's turn to the right

San Francisco voters turn to the right on crime and schools

The most controversial, Measure E, passed 54% to 46%. It allowed the following: After a public hearing, the chief of police could install surveillance devices without the approval of the Police Commission; Police could use drones to pursue vehicles and for investigations, including facial recognition, without the approval of the ...
Blog

Learn About Latest Ineffective Education Spending

Lawsuit Settlement Forces Accountability on California’s Spending for Student Learning Loss

After sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s unaccountable education spending proposals, I was happily surprised to see my criticisms vindicated in a recent court settlement that will force the state to finally demonstrate that its spending programs actually produce positive outcomes for students. In Governor Newsom’s proposed 2024-25 budget, he included ...
Blog

Take a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's education budget

Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget: A Recipe for More Disaster

With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit.  Well, think again. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for ...
Blog

Lessons from PRI’s School Board Member Conferences: Your Superintendent Does Not Have the Final Say – You Do.

The highlight of these events, however, was the opportunities for school board members to network and meet like-minded people fighting the same fight in their districts. Many of the school board members in attendance are in the minority on their boards, some being the lone voice of reason. Many are ...
Commentary

Read about California's latest test scores

California’s Latest School Test Scores Are Nothing to Celebrate

Imagine a headline that read, “Not Everyone Died in Massive Train Wreck, Say Railroad Officials.” If that spin sounds ridiculous, take a look at the California Department of Education’s recent press release on state test scores. The department’s headline reads: “2022-23 Statewide Assessment Results and Chronic Absenteeism Rates Show Student ...
Classroom Ideology

Listen to interview on PRI's school board survey

Listen to Lance Izumi on the Lars Larson Show: Is there a need for improvement among school boards?

TheLarsLarsonShow · Lance Izumi Is there a need for improvement among school boards?
Charter Schools

Read about PRI's new national education survey

New Poll Shows Voters See Room for Improvement in School Boards

The just-released national survey, conducted for the Pacific Research Institute by Echelon Insights, found that 49% of respondents said that their local public school boards were fair/poor/very poor. Just 36% thought their boards were excellent or good. Those who rated their school board’s performance as poor or very poor were ...
Crime

Wayne Winegarden – Free Cities Index

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study “The Free Cities Index.”  Many of America’s cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans.  Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, ...
Education

Read new survey on public education

New PRI Poll: As New School Year Begins, Voters See Room for Improvement with Local Schools

SACRAMENTO – As students head back to school, a new national survey commissioned by the California-based, nonpartisan, free-market think tank, the Pacific Research Institute finds that voters are more dissatisfied with their local school boards than their neighborhood schools, and see room for improvement in public education. When asked how ...
Blog

Read about latest attacks on charter schools

Los Angeles and Oakland Get “F” Grades for Charter Funding Gaps

The University of Arkansas study compared funding for regular public schools and charter schools in 18 cities across the country using 2019-2020 budget data.  Historically, regular public schools have been funded more generously than charter schools, which are autonomous publicly funded schools independent of school districts, but that gap is ...
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