blog post Will the Governor’s Budget Reduce the Heat on School Districts? By Patrick Murphy, Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra Jan 28, 2019 Governor Newsom's proposed budget calls for a one-time $3 billion payment to the main teacher retirement system, but is it enough to relieve financial pressure on California's schools?
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
blog post Video: Californians and Education By Susan Gluss Apr 16, 2018 A strong majority of adults and public school parents in California are concerned about school shootings, but they're deeply divided along partisan lines about arming teachers and school officials.
Report California’s Changing K-12 Accountability Program By Paul Warren Jan 17, 2013 California recently joined a number of other states in adopting the Common Core State Standards, which establish new criteria for what students should learn in school. It also joined a consortium of states to develop new tests based on those standards. The new standards are ambitious, and some teachers are concerned they are not prepared to convey the higher-level skills and concepts they contain. The new tests will allow the state to measure gains in each student’s achievement, creating new options for how the state ranks schools. The change will also prompt the state to reassess the value of state tests in high school and its options for holding secondary schools accountable. More changes to the state’s accountability program are likely when Congress reauthorizes the federal education law, and the way the state addresses these current issues will influence the shape of its future accountability program.
Occasional Paper, Report Teacher Compensation and Local Labor Market Conditions in California: Implications for School Funding By Heather Rose, Ria Sengupta Bhatt Mar 14, 2007 This paper examines how teacher compensation varies across California and how the variation is driven by factors beyond the control of school districts. Although we focus on teachers, the main concepts can be extended to all personnel. The paper also presents a formula that would help equalize the purchasing power of California school districts and discusses whether it makes sense to pursue such a goal.
blog post How Are School Districts Spending Their LCFF Dollars? By Julien Lafortune Sep 11, 2019 Six years after California revamped K-12 school funding, a PPIC study looks at how effectively dollars are being targeted to the highest-need students.
blog post Lessons in Innovation from Lindsay Unified School District By Mary Severance, Niu Gao Jul 6, 2022 Lindsay Unified, a rural district in the Central Valley, has seen dramatic improvements in students outcomes. Superintendent Tom Rooney talks about the ongoing transformation.
