Report Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao Sep 6, 2023 Under California’s ten-year-old funding formula, districts with higher shares of high-need students receive additional dollars on top of base funding. Districts have flexibility around spending these funds, but when money is not fully directed to the intended students and schools, the impact on achievement gaps is diluted.
blog post Addressing Inequities in Reopening Schools during COVID By Joseph Herrera, Darriya Starr, Emmanuel Prunty, Niu Gao Jun 23, 2022 While nearly all California schools switched to remote learning early in the pandemic, the return to in-person instruction varied across the state—potentially worsening educational inequities.
blog post Video: Analyzing the Standardized Test Results By Linda Strean May 1, 2017 Standardized tests results show improvement overall. But they also suggest that students already lagging their peers could be falling further behind.
blog post Early Results from Education Reforms By Linda Strean May 4, 2016 PPIC researchers analyzed the early results of two reforms in K–12 education and presented their findings at a PPIC event in Sacramento last week.
Report Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune May 18, 2022 Funding for California’s K–12 public schools has reached record highs, but gaps in student outcomes remain. Understanding the benefits of additional funds, and how to distribute those funds, are key concerns for policymakers. This report offers insights from a robust body of research on the extent to which higher spending improves outcomes.
Report Achievement in California’s Public Schools: What Do Test Scores Tell Us? By Paul Warren, Julien Lafortune Jul 10, 2019 California’s student test scores show significant progress in English—but they also show stalled gains in math and persistent income achievement gaps. State actions to improve math instruction and support struggling districts could help boost student performance.
Report Common Core State Standards in California: Evaluating Local Implementation and Student Outcomes By Niu Gao, Julien Lafortune Sep 25, 2019 California adopted the Common Core State Standards to prepare K–12 students for college and careers—and to narrow longstanding achievement gaps. Most districts have implemented the standards, and student outcomes have improved modestly. But progress has been uneven. State tracking and support could help districts implement the standards successfully.
blog post Students Struggle on Test of New Standards By Laura Hill, Iwunze Ugo Sep 9, 2015 On California’s first statewide tests aligned with the Common Core standards, 40% of fourth-graders scored proficient or better on the English Language Arts (ELA) test and 35% did so in math.
blog post Are K–12 Students Keeping Pace in English? By Paul Warren, Julien Lafortune Nov 1, 2018 Across all grades, growth in average SBAC test scores in English outpaced proficiency standards, but in most grades racial disparities still persist.
blog post Fulfilling the Promise of Online Education By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Jun 23, 2014 California’s community colleges need both more information and a more strategic approach before online learning can fulfill its promise.
