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.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes By Julien Lafortune, Stephanie Barton Oct 6, 2021 Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), more money now reaches high-need districts, and these districts spend most of that money on schools with greater need. Students are seeing some benefits from the LCFF, as seen in higher test scores, though disparities by student income, race, and language status remain large.
blog post Video: Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes By Stephanie Barton Oct 19, 2021 PPIC researcher Julien Lafortune presents new findings on how school districts are using dollars provided through the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the effect on educational outcomes.
press release California’s School Funding Formula Has Made District-Level Funding More Equitable, but Gains at the Student Level Are Smaller Aug 7, 2019
Report Charter Schools and California’s Local Control Funding Formula By Iwunze Ugo, Laura Hill Sep 21, 2017 Over the two decades since their inception, charter schools have become a significant part of the California public school system. Quasi-independent, but publicly funded, these schools educate about 10 percent of the state’s students.
Fact Sheet California’s High School Graduation Requirements By Niu Gao, Lunna Lopes, Grace Lee Nov 27, 2017
Report Distance Learning Strategies in California Schools By Niu Gao, Laura Hill, Julien Lafortune Apr 14, 2021 Learning gaps are a growing concern after a year of online instruction. During the pandemic, uneven distribution of resources may have widened gaps and led to learning loss for some students. Our survey outlines how California school districts addressed remote learning and their strategies to improve instruction in the 2020–21 school year.
Report Student Achievement and Growth on California’s K-12 Assessments By Laura Hill, Iwunze Ugo Apr 26, 2017 California’s school children did much better in the second year of new standardized tests. But a look at results for English Learners and economically disadvantaged students indicates that achievement gaps are not closing. Struggling districts may need more guidance from the state—they might also look to schools and districts that have had success with high-need students. This research was supported with funding from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
Fact Sheet Financing California’s Public Schools By Julien Lafortune Nov 29, 2023 K–12 funding has been at record-high levels in recent years, and California’s per student spending is now slightly above the national average. Spending is higher for low-income students, English Learners, and foster youth. However, enrollment declines, rising costs, and the expiration of pandemic funding pose fiscal challenges for school districts.
