School Beat: Californians On Public Education — the Latest PPIC Survey Results
By Lisa SchiffThe Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released last week the results of its lateststatewide survey of attitudes of Californians regarding K-12 public education. Part of a regular series focusing on “K–12, higher education, environment, and population issues,” this latest survey is the sixth focusing on the K-12 area and thus provides not only an important picture of current attitudes and understandings, but sets those in a context that can help elucidate trends and changes in those same attitudes and understandings. All of this is extremely important for public education supporters trying to be more effective in getting clear messages to policy makers and likely voters regarding the challenges and related needs that must be addressed in our continuing effort to improve public schools for all children.
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California Needs The FCC To Restore The Fairness Doctrine
By Roy Ulrich and Richard Holober
One of the lesser-known tragedies of the Reagan era was the Federal Communication Commission's decision to abolish the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. That doctrine used to require radio and television stations to air opposing and contrasting views on controversial issues of public importance. In 1992, the FCC expanded its ruling to include ballot measures.
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Speaker Pelosi and the Revival of Progressive Politics in America
By Randy ShawFollowing the November 2004 elections, Karl Rove proclaimed a new conservative era and the institutionalization of Republican political control. Yet Democrats won the House and Senate in 2006, and retook the White House with large congressional majorities in 2008. How did this dramatic shift occur? George W. Bush’s failures clearly played a part, but among Democratic Party politicians, two are typically most credited. Howard Dean showed how the netroots could galvanize grassroots activism and raise millions of dollars for progressive candidates, and Barack Obama created the largest grassroots presidential campaign in history by tapping the public's desire for “Change.”
Downsizing the Prison-Industrial Complex
By Cathy Cockrell (interview of criminologist Barry Krisberg)UC Berkeley NewsCenter
Q. The public mood on crime and punishment appears to go in cycles. Where would you say we are today?
A. We're actually in a good place at the moment, I think. Crime is way down nationally and in California, and there isn't support for building new prisons or expanding corrections. Recent opinion polls show that the public opposes most cuts in public spending, but does support reductions in prison budgets. Our terrible financial crisis may be giving rise to smarter policies.
For juvenile justice, it's an interesting time. Both nationwide and on the state level, the number of kids (ages 12 to 18) who are locked up is substantially down. In 2004 there were roughly 7,000 inmates in California's youth prisons; now there are about 1,400. There are fewer than 800 youth locked up in New York State today. Most of the major states are reducing the number of kids in custody.
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