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Lance Izumi

Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute

Lance Izumi is Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. He is the author of the highly praised 2012 book Obama’s Education Takeover (Encounter Books), which details the centralization of education policymaking in Washington under President Obama. Izumi is also the co-author of the groundbreaking book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice and co-executive producer of the award-winning 2009 PBS-broadcast film documentary Not as Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School. He also appears in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s 2010 education film documentary Waiting for Superman, which was voted best U.S. documentary at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Izumi is an editorial advisor for School Reform News.

Izumi is a member of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation.  First appointed to the Board in 2004, he is now the Board’s longest serving member.  He served two terms as president of the Board of Governors from 2008 through 2009.

Izumi served as chief speechwriter and director of writing and research for California Governor George Deukmejian. He also served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan as speechwriter to United States Attorney General Edwin Meese III. He also served as a captain in the California State Military Reserve. During his service, Mr. Izumi was awarded the commendation medal and the achievement ribbon.

Mr. Izumi received his juris doctorate from the University of Southern California School of Law, his master of arts in political science from the University of California at Davis and his bachelor of arts in economics and history from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Lance Izumi Contributions

November 7, 2018
PRESS RELEASE: Heartland Institute Experts React to the 2018 Midterm Elections
  • Government & Politics
  • Government & Liberty
July 7, 2015
Why Your State Should Copy Nevada’s School Choice Plan
  • Education

What's New

November 20, 2024
Research & Commentary: Report Shows South Carolina’s Tax-Credit Scholarship Program Has Saved Palmetto State Taxpayers Over $208 Million through Fiscal Year 2022
November 20, 2024
Research & Commentary: Report Shows South Dakota’s Tax-Credit Scholarship Program Has Saved Mount Rushmore State Taxpayers Over $10,900 Per Child through Fiscal Year 2022
November 19, 2024
The Sandstorm: How Will Trump Handle Education Policy?

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