The School Choice Battles Ahead

By Larry Sand
01/13/2023
As we transition into 2023, we can see that the field of education will once again be a contentious one, as too many government-run schools are failing, and parents are not happy. In Chicago, for example, great numbers of students are avoiding their local schools. In fact, more than one-third of the city’s public schools...

TAGS: California government unions, California public education, california public schools, California teachers unions, education, school choice

Our Devastating Education Schemes

By Larry Sand
12/08/2022
We need to get back to educational basics.   Little did I know that when I was teaching in the 1990s and “multicultural education” became all the rage, that it was just the beginning of an onslaught of radical endeavors that shows no sign of abating. As 2022 winds down, let’s take a glimpse at...

TAGS: California Federation of Teachers, California public education, california public schools, California teachers unions, critical race theory, public education, teachers union

School Choice Tremors

By Larry Sand
12/01/2022
Election results show that parental freedom is on the move, but too many children are still stuck in government-run schools with few options. The election on November 8th was good for the school choice movement. As Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, explains, 76% of candidates supported by his organization won...

TAGS: california public schools, Elections, Local Elections, public schools, school boards, school choice

On the Nation’s Report Card, Teachers Unions Get an F

By Larry Sand
11/04/2022
In light of recent test scores and the proliferation of CRT, America’s future is not promising. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – known as The Nation’s Report Card – “gives us a window into the state of our K-12 education system.” The results provide educators, policymakers, elected officials, and parents across the country...

TAGS: California public education, california public schools, California teachers unions

Student Achievement Disparities in California

By Sheridan Swanson
11/04/2022
California parents are understandably exasperated with the alarming achievement disparities among K-12 students in the state. State and national performance assessment rankings show that California’s traditional public schools are some of the worst performing in the nation. And while poor school performance affects students of all backgrounds, low-income and minority students are disproportionately impacted. The...

TAGS: California government unions, california public schools, public schools, standardized testing, teachers unions

Voting for the Kids

By Larry Sand
10/27/2022
While there is no shortage of issues to consider when marking ballots on Election Day, education matters should be high on the list. All citizens, taxpayers, and parents, of course, have a stake in righting our wayward educational ship. Fortunately, the political angle has been front and center since parent-friendly Republican Glenn Youngkin beat out establishment Democrat...

TAGS: California public education, california public schools, California teachers unions, CTA, government unions, parents

Class Size Lies

By Larry Sand
10/07/2022
The number of children in the classroom has no effect on educational achievement. The perennial, “We have a teacher shortage!” canard has a younger and equally bogus sibling known as, “Children do better in a small class setting!” In fact, lower class size is very often on the list of demands when teachers go out...

TAGS: california public schools, classrooms, education, education reform

Do American Students’ Lives Matter?

By Larry Sand
09/09/2022
The results of the first post-lockdown National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released on June 1, and they showed anything but progress. Most subgroups took a big hit, but Blacks and Hispanics suffered the greatest damage. Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the test, said, “These results are...

TAGS: California public education, california public schools, education, public education, Students First, Students Matter

An Agenda to Realign California Politics

By Edward Ring
12/22/2020
When it comes to California’s political dysfunction, over and over, the story’s already been told. Failing schools, crumbling infrastructure. Highest taxes, highest unemployment, and highest cost-of-living. Hostile business climate. Crippling, punitive regulations and fees. Widest gap between rich and poor. Burning forests, lawless streets. Record numbers of homeless. Unaffordable housing. Water rationing, electricity blackouts. And...

TAGS: California housing crisis, california public schools