Of all the states, one would expect that the impact of technology on the delivery of educational services would be greatest in California, home to Silicon Valley and major tech companies. Indeed, many expected this environment to wield considerable influence on the school system. Yet, when it comes to harnessing the technological revolution as it applies to education, it turns out that California is lagging in many respects. Short-Circuited explores the education technological landscape in California. It provides a national and international overview of the state of technology and education, a survey of the foundation of distance- and online-education policy in California, and discusses and analyzes several areas where the actions of state governments, local governments, and education special interest groups have impeded the natural expansion of distance and online learning. The book also interviews distance- and online-education suppliers, practitioners, users, and experts and concludes with observations and the authors policy recommendations for reform.
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About the Author
Lance T. Izumi, J.D., is Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California s premier free-market public-policy think tank based in San Francisco and Sacramento. He is the coauthor of the groundbreaking book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice (San Francisco: Pacific Research Institute, 2007), which has been praised by publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Education Week.
Izumi is co-executive producer of the award-winning 2009 PRI full-length film documentary Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School, which is based on his 2007 book. The film has been broadcast multiple times on PBS. He also appears in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim s major 2010 education film documentary Waiting for Superman, which was voted best U.S. documentary at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
In 2008, the New York Times selected Izumi to be one of its online contributors on the presidential race and education issues. In 2009, the paper posted Sweden s Choice, a video op-ed that he wrote and narrated and which has garnered critical praise. He is also the coauthor of the book Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools (San Francisco: Pacific Research Institute, 2005), which has been used as a guidebook for creating high-performing charter schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Izumi is the author or coauthor of numerous major PRI studies, including Still Not as Good as You Think: 2009 Update on Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice (2009), English Immersion or Law Evasion (2008), California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators (1997, 2000, 2003, and 2007 editions), Failing our Future: The Holes in California s School Accountability System and How to Fix Them (2006), Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California (2004), They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California (2002), Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher Training in California s Schools of Education (2001), and Developing and Implementing Academic Standards (1999). Izumi is the coeditor of two books: Teacher Quality (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2002) and School Reform: The Critical Issues (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2001). For 10 years, he was a regular contributor to the Perspectives opinion series on KQED-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco. Izumi received his juris doctorate from the University of Southern California School of Law and his master of arts in political science from the University of California at Davis. He received his bachelor of arts in economics and history from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Vicki E. Murray, Ph. D., is Education Studies Associate Director and Senior Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI). Dr. Murray s research focuses on education reform measures to improve academic accountability at all levels, promote a competitive education climate, and increase parents control over their children s education. ÂÂ
Dr. Murray is the coauthor of PRI s groundbreaking 2007 book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice. She is also the associate producer of PRI s award-winning 2009 film Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School. Dr. Murray is the former director of the Goldwater Institute Center for Educational Opportunity in Phoenix, Arizona. She has advised the U.S. Department of Education on public-school choice and higher education reform.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By DWhite
Wow. What a fantastic book. Easy to read and understand. Extremely straightfoward. Izumi and Murray explore California's education technology landscape and the impediments to its expansion. And they offer several reform ideas. This book is critically important for policymakers (and everyone interested in education) to read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Rebecca
I bought this book because I know Izumi and Murray are the foremost experts on the CA education system. It's a must read for parents who are thinking of taking advantage of eLearning for their kids. It's hard to believe that CA, the birthplace of so many innovations, is depriving its kids from making the most of the online revolution.
As usual, Izumi and Murray are right on the money with their diagnosis of the problems plaguing educational technology in California and with their prescriptions for fixing the system. Those looking to improve education in California -- and nationwide -- would be wise to pick up this book and puts its lessons into practice.
By shabbychic
Very insightful. Of course in California we would have a booming tech industry and have institutional roadblocks to translating that success to improve our education system. The section on the Rocketship Charter School model is very interesting.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended for anyone interested in technology and education
January 11, 2011
By S. Ryan
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in educational policy -- and how it is affected by technology. Clear, insightful, and compelling. A must-read for anyone interested in this subject matter.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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The sections in the middle on actual software like MRI's ST Math (jiji) are OK. However, the book is merely a screed for online-only virtual K12 schools. The authors attack teachers, without evidence, and put down evil "government schools." This is really a pathetic book that a blogger could have written.
The irony is that I specialize in online education. Blended schools work, but fully online ones are merely profit mills for their owners. This "little" fact is never mentioned. This is not an area for legitimate research-advocates.
The irony is that I specialize in online education. Blended schools work, but fully online ones are merely profit mills for their owners. This "little" fact is never mentioned. This is not an area for legitimate research-advocates.
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