Education

In January 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger established a bold roadmap for the future of public education, committing to the goals of expanding charter and career technical schools, ensuring that every classroom has an effective teacher and every school has an effective principal so that all students graduate prepared for college and career success.

Recent Institute Activity

Drawing the Future: The High-Stakes Battle Over Gerrymandering in Texas and Across the Nation

Drawing the Future: The High-Stakes Battle Over Gerrymandering in Texas and Across the Nation BIOS (in alphabetical order): David Daley Journalist, Author, and Senior Fellow at FairVote and t
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Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Joins USC Schwarzenegger Institute Board of Advisors

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is proud to announce that former United States Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D., has joined its Board of Advisors. With deca
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Donates $1 Million to Los Angeles Wildfire Relief Efforts

In response to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged $1 million to support relief efforts across Los Angeles County. His donation will be distributed among three
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Schwarzenegger Institute Launches Whisky that Gives Back

Inspired by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recent $1 million donation to wildfire relief efforts, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute is expanding its own efforts to support those affected by the Eat
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Schwarzenegger Institute Welcomes New USC Price Dean

The Schwarzenegger Institute officially welcomed Christopher Boone as the new dean of the USC Price School of Public Policy during his installation ceremony on February 10th. Boone, an esteemed expert
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Fran Pavley Joins Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire Safe Recovery

Following the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires, Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath has convened an independent commission aimed at guiding the region’s recovery and rebuilding efforts. The commission, c
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Christian Grose Named 2024 Communicator of the Year

In a recent luncheon hosted by Moh El-Naggar, interim dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, seven exceptional scholars were awarded the 2024 Communicator of the Year Award. T
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Adam Rose Publishes New Offshore Wind Article

Schwarzenegger Institute Faculty Fellow Adam Rose has published a new article, "Benefits and Challenges of California Offshore Wind Electricity: An Updated Assessment," in Energies, shedding light on
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Steven Olikara Joins the Schwarzenegger Institute

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is thrilled to welcome Steven Olikara as our new Senior Fellow for Political Transformation. A nationally recognized leader in post-partisa
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Hands Out Turkeys At Thanksgiving Giveaway

Arnold Schwarzenegger continued his longstanding Thanksgiving tradition at the Hollenbeck Youth Center earlier this week. He once again teamed up with Danny and Priscilla Hernandez to distribute turke
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Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Joins USC Schwarzenegger Institute Board of Advisors

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy is proud to announce that former United States Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D., has joined its Board of Advisors. With decades of experience as an educator, administrator, and policymaker, Cardona brings a deep commitment to equity, innovation, and bipartisanship in education and public service…. View Article

Arnold Schwarzenegger Hands Out Turkeys At Thanksgiving Giveaway

Arnold Schwarzenegger continued his longstanding Thanksgiving tradition at the Hollenbeck Youth Center earlier this week. He once again teamed up with Danny and Priscilla Hernandez to distribute turkeys to local families in need. The former Governor of California shared laughter and lighthearted moments with attendees, making the holiday giveaway a memorable experience for all. This… View Article

Arnold Schwarzenegger Visits VA on Veterans Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger paid a special visit to the West Los Angeles VA on November 11th to honor and connect with veterans. In a laid-back yet impactful afternoon, Schwarzenegger handed out pizza slices, posed for photos, and spent time thanking veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard for their service to the nation…. View Article

Allison Kay and LaWanda Toney from the US Department of Education Discuss The Teachers’ Lounge

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute partnered with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., Outside the Box [Office], and the USC School of Cinematic Arts to host a special screening of The Teachers’ Lounge, winner of the LUX Audience Award and nominee for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. Walter Goetz, Director of… View Article

Schwarzenegger Institute Launches New Seminar Series on Hot Topics in Policy

On April 5th, the Schwarzenegger Institute launched their newest seminar series on hot topics in policy with a roundtable on Bitcoin. During the roundtable, Schwarzenegger Institute team members Conyers Davis, Francisca Martinez, Allison Kay and Ben Wong met with a variety of Bitcoin experts, including Founder of Proof of Workforce Dominick Bei, to discuss Bitcoin… View Article

California’s Expanded Learning Programs Since Proposition 49 Passed in 2002

California’s Expanded Learning Programs Since Proposition 49 Passed in 2002: Progress, Evidence, & Future Directions Tiffany Berry, PhD & Michelle Sloper, PhD Claremont Evaluation Center, Claremont Graduate University Corey Newhouse, MPP Public Profit EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Today, California operates the largest and most robust expanded learning infrastructure in the nation. California’s expanded learning programs seek to enlighten,… View Article

Military Roundtable with Former CIA Officer Will Hurd

On April 21st, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute hosted its first in-person military round table since the start of the pandemic. After two years, the Schwarzenegger Institute was happy to relaunch the series with former Congressman and CIA Officer Will Hurd, who recently released a book titled “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things… View Article

Institute Launches Virtual Speakers Bureau for Universities Across the Globe

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute recognizes the need for expertise during our current moment. Professors and students at USC and beyond have quickly transitioned to online instruction to complete their semesters. However, this has created new challenges and opportunities for teachers creating new online instructional content. We have created the USC Schwarzenegger Institute Virtual Speakers’ Bureau… View Article

President Vicente Fox and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Discuss Leadership and Policy at Centro Fox

On November 15th Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger participated in the 6th edition of CITEK, a business summit hosted annually by Centro Fox in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Centro Fox, established by former Mexican President Vicente Fox at the end of his term in 2006, is dedicated to training quality leaders who will serve their communities… View Article

Schwarzenegger and John Milius Rally Hollywood in Support of the US Marine Corps

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute was proud to continue its collaboration with the armed forces by hosting a round table conversation with senior leaders of the United States Marine Corps. On August 26, Lieutenant General Joseph L. Osterman, Commanding General of the First Marine Expeditionary Force and Brigadier General Sean M. Salene, Director of Communications for… View Article

Schwarzenegger Institute and US Navy’s Film and Television Office Hosts Air War College Fellows

As an actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been known to take on the role of hero. As governor of California, he called the military the true action heroes. The USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy carried forward its chairman’s appreciation for members of the armed forces on March 4 by bringing together leaders in… View Article

Schwarzenegger Institute Speaks to Government and Politics classes about Environmental Policy

In an effort to get high school students excited about college and public policy, USC Schwarzenegger Institute Legislative Outreach Assistant, Francisca Martinez visited her alma mater, Orange Glen High School, in Escondido, CA. Francisca was a guest speaker at two AP Government and Politics classes where she talked to students about working with Senator Fran… View Article

Senator Fran Pavley Keynotes at Los Angeles Clean Incubator’s Strategic Conversation with the Clean

Former State Senator and current USC Schwarzenegger Institute Legislative Outreach Director, Fran Pavley, was a keynote speaker at a recent clean vehicle event hosted by Move LA and Calstart at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The event, which took place on April 19th in Downtown Los Angeles, was billed as a strategic conversation with… View Article

Expansion of Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook

The Schwarzenegger Institute started the year with the expansion of the Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook by adding two additional bill files to its comprehensive list of environmental laws. The USC Schwarzenegger Institute partnered with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) to create the Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook, an online resource that local, regional and national governments… View Article

SI Partners with NCEL to Launch First of Its Kind Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute in partnership with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) launched the Digital Environmental Legislative Handbook, a first of its kind environmental policy resource, for state legislative leaders. Governor Schwarzenegger and the Schwarzenegger Institute, recognizing the power of environmental laws passed at the state, city and local levels, spent over a year developing this… View Article

2017 National Afterschool Summit: Protecting Afterschool Programs for Over 10 Million Students

At Afterschool Summit, Schwarzenegger Criticizes balancing budget 'on the backs of kids' Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rallied after-school program leaders and educators from all 50 states, imploring them to join him in educating Congress, and being “terminators” – as he phrased it – in the battle to prevent $1.2 billion in federal funding cuts… View Article

Institute Continues Support for After-School Programs

Supporting comprehensive, quality after-school programs as a cost effective investment to help students succeed in school, life and the workforce continues to be a priority of Governor Schwarzenegger and the Institute. Both Schwarzenegger and Bonnie Reiss, Institute Global Director and former California Secretary of Education, have been leaders in the after-school field for over… View Article

Institute Collaboration with the University of Miami

Dr. Julio Frenk, the new president of the University of Miami, recently visited Los Angeles. During this visit, he met with Governor Schwarzenegger and Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss to discuss a multi-year collaboration between the University of Miami and the Schwarzenegger Institute on policy issues including climate change, renewable energy, immigration reform, health care… View Article

Collaboration with Arizona State University on Climate, Energy and Political Reform

Michael Crow, the visionary President of Arizona State University (ASU), invited a team from the USC Schwarzenegger Institute to visit Tempe to explore collaborations on policy areas of mutual interest, including climate change, energy, political reform and on-line education. The Schwarzenegger Institute team included Global Director Bonnie Reiss, Senior Advisor Kevin Starr and Institute Research Fellow Christian Grose. … View Article

Focusing on Education and Public Schools

SUPPORTING HIGH PERFORMING CHARTER SCHOOLS California leads the nation in offering high performing charter schools as a public school option for families seeking a quality education for their children. Charter schools, unencumbered by numerous bureaucratic regulations, provide local education providers with flexibility when designing curriculums which allows them to more easily focus on STEM, special… View Article

Schwarzenegger and National Leaders Urge Congress to Keep After-School Funding

By Matthew Kredell Former Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger led a National After-School Summit at the University of Southern California on March 24 to call for a unified voice telling Congress not to terminate federal funding for after-school programs and to announce that he's launching a movement for every student to have the opportunity for the… View Article

Watch WEBCAST of The National After-School Summit – March 24th

Live streaming video by Ustream

Interactive Map by USC Student Sarah McMinimy – After-School Summit March 24th

This 21st Century Community Learning Centers Map, created by USC Undergraduate Student Fellow Sarah McMinimy, is an interactive data visualization showing the distribution of after-school programs that received support through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative. The layers are separated by zoom levels, showing both state and local levels of data. In California, center… View Article

S.I. Global Director Bonnie Reiss Leads Education Policy Discussion for Select Group of USC Students

By Taylor Wolfson, Discussion Coordinator and USC Senior Price School of Public Policy On March 26th, 2014 USC Schwarzenegger Institute Global Director, and former California State Secretary of Education, Bonnie Reiss, led an intimate discussion with eighteen of USC’s impassioned, and inquisitive students. The eighteen USC students who took part in the discussion were chosen… View Article

Schwarzenegger Institute Sponsors USC’s Local Government Case Challenge

By Jackson Hite The Schwarzenegger Institute sponsored USC’s 2nd Local Government Case Challenge that took place February 5th – 8th. In its second year, the case challenge brought together students from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy to address and come up with a solution for an actual issue faced by the City… View Article

Terror: On the Screen /On the Ground

On February 6th the USC Schwarzenegger Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss moderated a provocative discussion Terror: On the Screen /On the Ground. This program was presented by The USC CREATE Center – National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events -, in partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts and examined the effect of… View Article

Policy in Action: Schwarzenegger Institute in the Capitol

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Global Director Bonnie Reiss, and USC Price School of Public Policy Dean Jack Knott turned policy into action. On October 30th the USC Schwarzenegger Institute held a series of meetings in Washington D.C. with our nation's leaders to advocate continued support of comprehensive after-school programs. Several Members of Congress sought to divert… View Article

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Education Legacy

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Education Legacy: Guest commentary By Bonnie Reiss Ten years ago Californians rocked the nation by using a direct democracy tool and recalled a sitting governor, electing a non-politician movie action hero. In the words of another movie star, they were mad as hell and not going to take it anymore! Fed up with… View Article

Students Talk Back forum – k-12 Education Reform

Wednesday September 25th marked the third installment of the Students Talk Back series, a weekly politics and public policy forum, which is co-hosted by the Schwarzenegger Institute in partnership with the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. Each Students Talk Back lunch discussion features a bi-partisan panel of students and professionals to offer a balanced perspective on important issues… View Article

Schwarzenegger Institute Goes to South Korea

USC hosted its 2013 Global Conference in Seoul, South Korea on May 23-25 and by all accounts is was a total success. USC President C.L. Max Nikias opened the event with an inspiring State-of-the-University speech, where he outlined the University's inexorable march to prominence over the last several years in several areas including student development,… View Article

Institute Award offered at USC Undergrad Writers’ Conference

The USC Schwarzenegger Institute is proud to partner with the USC Festival of Scholarly & Creative Work for this year's Undergraduate Writers' Conference. Writers can submit in 4 categories: Professional Writing/Moral Reasoning, Analytical essays, Research essays, and Creative Work. The Schwarzenegger Institute will be awarding submissions that propose a real world solution to a serious policy challenge that improves the lives… View Article

Institute launches “BE THE CHANGE” and “Spotlight Awards”

The Schwarzenegger Institute launches “BE THE CHANGE” campaign at annual Council of Presidents dinner. The Schwarzenegger Institute is proud to partner with the USC Undergraduate Student Government on the “BE THE CHANGE” campaign, supporting and encourage USC students to make a difference. Be the Change Spotlight Award by Michael Geragos ’13, Undergraduate Student Body President… View Article

USC Schwarzenegger Institute Class Final Presentations

The students presented to their family and friends, Price School Dean Jack H. Knott, the Global and Academic Directors of the Schwarzenegger Institute, and Chairman of the Institute, Professor Arnold Schwarzenegger. By Professor Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday, December 17, 2012 Today I had the opportunity to see the final project presentations of the first USC Schwarzenegger… View Article

Great Idea Exchange at USC Scholars Lunch

By Nancy Staudt, Academic Director, USC Schwarzenegger Institute The Schwarzenegger Institute hosted its first USC Schwarzenegger Scholarly Roundtable on November 28, 2012—and by all accounts it was a wonderful success. The purpose of the Roundtable was to gather together great minds on campus to discuss important and timely issues the Schwarzenegger Institute is dedicated to… View Article