Public Schools
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 ...
John Seiler
March 22, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
March 4, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
January 16, 2024
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 ...
Emily Humpal
December 27, 2023
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 ...
Lance Izumi
November 2, 2023
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?
Pacific Research Institute
September 13, 2023
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 ...
Lance Izumi
September 11, 2023
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, ...
Pacific Research Institute
September 5, 2023
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 ...
Lance Izumi
August 28, 2023
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 ...
Lance Izumi
August 21, 2023
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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?
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...