Public Schools

Education

Adam Abolfazli – Permission to Fail

Adam Abolfazli, Sacramento-area public high school student and author of the new book Permission to Fail, shares with us his firsthand view from the classroom on how recent changes in public education such as increased parent and student apathy toward the learning process and a lack of academic rigor, have ...
Education

Dr. Lance Izumi explains why math scores are low in the United States

Watch the full interview here.
Blog

Read the latest on teachers' unions

Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions

A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Blog

Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates

Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Classroom Ideology

Read the latest on equity grading in public schools

Equity grading is just grade inflation dressed in woke clothing

As standardized student test scores plunge, some school districts are responding by masking student knowledge deficiencies through equity grading, which is little more than grade inflation dressed up in woke clothing. There is little doubt that student learning across the country is at a dire level. On the 2022 National ...
Blog

Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools

As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior.  New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
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 ...
Education

Adam Abolfazli – Permission to Fail

Adam Abolfazli, Sacramento-area public high school student and author of the new book Permission to Fail, shares with us his firsthand view from the classroom on how recent changes in public education such as increased parent and student apathy toward the learning process and a lack of academic rigor, have ...
Education

Dr. Lance Izumi explains why math scores are low in the United States

Watch the full interview here.
Blog

Read the latest on teachers' unions

Teacher Shortages in Schools? Blame the Teachers’ Unions

A just-released analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) says, “there are at least 55,000 vacant teaching positions nationally.” However, contrary to the conventional belief that these vacancies are spread across the board, the NCTQ analysis observes, “The reality is, teacher shortages do exist—in specific subjects, regions, and ...
Blog

Why High School Graduates Turn Out to Be College Illiterates

Education Week recently pointed out that high school graduates’ “college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics—including the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the SAT, the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions.” The ACT measures college readiness in English ...
Classroom Ideology

Read the latest on equity grading in public schools

Equity grading is just grade inflation dressed in woke clothing

As standardized student test scores plunge, some school districts are responding by masking student knowledge deficiencies through equity grading, which is little more than grade inflation dressed up in woke clothing. There is little doubt that student learning across the country is at a dire level. On the 2022 National ...
Blog

Producing Democratic Citizens: Private Schools Do Better Than Public Schools

As college campuses across the country descend into chaos, with authoritarian mobs violently taking over buildings, attacking police, and vandalizing property, Americans rightly wonder why so many young people are engaging in grossly undemocratic behavior.  New research provides a clue, with public schools scoring significantly below private schools in forming ...
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 ...
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