Public Schools
Classroom Ideology
Elon Musk needs H-1B workers because math education fails our students
When entrepreneur Elon Musk made headlines with his vociferous comments supporting the H-1B visa program, the ensuing debate focused on the implications of his position on immigration. But this debate obscured the reason America even has such a program in the first place: its homegrown students are being poorly educated ...
Lance Izumi
February 3, 2025
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 ...
Pacific Research Institute
December 9, 2024
Classroom Ideology
Young People Aren’t Reading Great Books Because Many Can’t Read
Think about your favorite novel that you read in school. Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables? Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote? Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations? Now imagine if all the wonder and wisdom of those great works was closed off to you because your school failed to ...
Lance T. izumi
December 3, 2024
Classroom Ideology
Learn more about the math and literacy crisis
Dr. Lance Izumi On Why Kids Can’t Read or Do Math
Dr. Lance Izumi, senior director of the Pacific Research Institute’s Center for Education, recently wrote “The Great Classroom Collapse.” The book centers around a fundamental question: Why can’t kids today read or do math? In an attempt to answer that question, “The Great Classroom Collapse” is divided into three sections: ...
Lance Izumi
October 23, 2024
Education
Dr. Lance Izumi explains why math scores are low in the United States
Watch the full interview here.
Lance T. izumi
October 17, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
July 1, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
June 12, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
June 5, 2024
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 ...
Lance Izumi
May 14, 2024
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
Elon Musk needs H-1B workers because math education fails our students
When entrepreneur Elon Musk made headlines with his vociferous comments supporting the H-1B visa program, the ensuing debate focused on the implications of his position on immigration. But this debate obscured the reason America even has such a program in the first place: its homegrown students are being poorly educated ...
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 ...
Young People Aren’t Reading Great Books Because Many Can’t Read
Think about your favorite novel that you read in school. Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables? Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote? Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations? Now imagine if all the wonder and wisdom of those great works was closed off to you because your school failed to ...
Learn more about the math and literacy crisis
Dr. Lance Izumi On Why Kids Can’t Read or Do Math
Dr. Lance Izumi, senior director of the Pacific Research Institute’s Center for Education, recently wrote “The Great Classroom Collapse.” The book centers around a fundamental question: Why can’t kids today read or do math? In an attempt to answer that question, “The Great Classroom Collapse” is divided into three sections: ...
Dr. Lance Izumi explains why math scores are low in the United States
Watch the full interview here.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...