Public Schools
Blog
The Race for CA’s Top Ed Official: A Study in Contrasts
While much of the media is focused on which party will control Congress, one of the most important races in California is for state superintendent of public instruction, the state’s top education official. In one corner is education reformer Marshall Tuck, who lost a close race four years ago to ...
Lance Izumi
November 2, 2018
Blog
Teachers, Rock Stars, and Millionaires, Oh yes!
John Cox, GOP candidate for California’s gubernatorial race, made headlines the other day when he said that he’d like to see teachers paid like “rock stars and baseball players.” Later in a statement, he sheepishly walked it back: “Of course our teachers will never approach the pay of a Beyoncé ...
Rowena Itchon
October 23, 2018
Blog
Apparently, California Officials Can’t Rest Until the State Has America’s Highest Fuel Prices
Fuel prices in California are soaring like it’s 1979. A gallon of regular gasoline was averaging $3.82 across the state on Oct. 18, nearly a full dollar higher than the national average, according to AAA. Only in Hawaii are prices higher. With the summer travel season over, we expect some ...
Kerry Jackson
October 22, 2018
Education
Lance Izumi in Sacramento Bee: Should Teachers Be Paid Like Rock Stars?
Lance Izumi, Koret Senior Fellow in Education and Senior Director of PRI’s Center for Education, was asked by the Sacramento Bee for his comments on a statement by California gubernatorial candidate John Cox that teacher should be “paid like rock stars and baseball players.” Read his comments below and click ...
Pacific Research Institute
October 15, 2018
Education
Here’s Why Colleges Are Quickly Dropping SAT and ACT Essay Requirements
Colleges are quickly dropping their SAT and ACT essay requirements for applicants, with education experts saying the compositions “have never been of much use” and the institutions suggesting that their additional cost prevented poorer students from applying. Brown University ditched the requirement on Wednesday, making it the last Ivy League ...
Rob Shimshock
July 16, 2018
Charter Schools
Charter Schools are Using Innovation to Help Kids with Special Needs
This month, as many Americans celebrated National Charter School Week, charter school opponents continued to claim that charter schools discriminate against students with special needs. Yet in fact, all across the country there are charter schools that are leading the way in helping children with special needs. Charter schools are ...
Lance Izumi
May 25, 2018
Charter Schools
Are #RedForEd Supporters Hurting Their Own Cause?
Teachers have been striking and walking out in a number of states this spring, including West Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado, and now North Carolina. But Arizona—the third state to protest teacher pay and conditions—is remarkable for what it reveals about the internal workings of the organizers. Although the pay and funding ...
Lance Izumi
May 22, 2018
Commentary
Put military families first, not school bureaucracies
Recently, a coalition of military associations came out against legislation supported by the Trump administration, that would give greater school-choice options to military service members and their children. Their letter to lawmakers, sadly, puts the concerns of school district bureaucracies above the clear needs and preferences of military families. The bill, the ...
Lance Izumi
April 27, 2018
Education
Education Scholar: School Choice For Military Kids ‘Is A National Security Concern’
An education scholar believes school choice for the children of military members “is a national security concern,” he said Wednesday. School choice is imperative to retaining military members, Pacific Research Institute Senior Director of Education Studies Lance Izumi explained while speaking with The Daily Caller News Foundation. The scholar was ...
Rob Shimshock
April 14, 2018
Education
School Choice Could’ve Spelled The End For Teacher Who Called Soldiers ‘Dumbsh*ts’ Much Sooner
An education scholar said Friday he believes school choice could have prevented students from having to put up with Gregory Salcido, the California teacher fired after calling soldiers “dumbsh*ts.” The El Rancho Unified School District fired Salcido, a former Pico Rivera mayor, Tuesday after he went on an anti-military rant in class. He ...
Rob Shimshock
March 24, 2018
The Race for CA’s Top Ed Official: A Study in Contrasts
While much of the media is focused on which party will control Congress, one of the most important races in California is for state superintendent of public instruction, the state’s top education official. In one corner is education reformer Marshall Tuck, who lost a close race four years ago to ...
Teachers, Rock Stars, and Millionaires, Oh yes!
John Cox, GOP candidate for California’s gubernatorial race, made headlines the other day when he said that he’d like to see teachers paid like “rock stars and baseball players.” Later in a statement, he sheepishly walked it back: “Of course our teachers will never approach the pay of a Beyoncé ...
Apparently, California Officials Can’t Rest Until the State Has America’s Highest Fuel Prices
Fuel prices in California are soaring like it’s 1979. A gallon of regular gasoline was averaging $3.82 across the state on Oct. 18, nearly a full dollar higher than the national average, according to AAA. Only in Hawaii are prices higher. With the summer travel season over, we expect some ...
Lance Izumi in Sacramento Bee: Should Teachers Be Paid Like Rock Stars?
Lance Izumi, Koret Senior Fellow in Education and Senior Director of PRI’s Center for Education, was asked by the Sacramento Bee for his comments on a statement by California gubernatorial candidate John Cox that teacher should be “paid like rock stars and baseball players.” Read his comments below and click ...
Here’s Why Colleges Are Quickly Dropping SAT and ACT Essay Requirements
Colleges are quickly dropping their SAT and ACT essay requirements for applicants, with education experts saying the compositions “have never been of much use” and the institutions suggesting that their additional cost prevented poorer students from applying. Brown University ditched the requirement on Wednesday, making it the last Ivy League ...
Charter Schools are Using Innovation to Help Kids with Special Needs
This month, as many Americans celebrated National Charter School Week, charter school opponents continued to claim that charter schools discriminate against students with special needs. Yet in fact, all across the country there are charter schools that are leading the way in helping children with special needs. Charter schools are ...
Are #RedForEd Supporters Hurting Their Own Cause?
Teachers have been striking and walking out in a number of states this spring, including West Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado, and now North Carolina. But Arizona—the third state to protest teacher pay and conditions—is remarkable for what it reveals about the internal workings of the organizers. Although the pay and funding ...
Put military families first, not school bureaucracies
Recently, a coalition of military associations came out against legislation supported by the Trump administration, that would give greater school-choice options to military service members and their children. Their letter to lawmakers, sadly, puts the concerns of school district bureaucracies above the clear needs and preferences of military families. The bill, the ...
Education Scholar: School Choice For Military Kids ‘Is A National Security Concern’
An education scholar believes school choice for the children of military members “is a national security concern,” he said Wednesday. School choice is imperative to retaining military members, Pacific Research Institute Senior Director of Education Studies Lance Izumi explained while speaking with The Daily Caller News Foundation. The scholar was ...
School Choice Could’ve Spelled The End For Teacher Who Called Soldiers ‘Dumbsh*ts’ Much Sooner
An education scholar said Friday he believes school choice could have prevented students from having to put up with Gregory Salcido, the California teacher fired after calling soldiers “dumbsh*ts.” The El Rancho Unified School District fired Salcido, a former Pico Rivera mayor, Tuesday after he went on an anti-military rant in class. He ...