event Statewide Survey: Californians and Education Apr 23, 2015 About the ProgramPPIC's latest survey looks at Californians' perceptions of major reforms being implemented in the state's public K–12 schools: the Local Control Funding Formula, the Common Core State Standards, and the Smarter Balanced assessments. It also examines concerns about educational inequities and views on school funding and revenues. PPIC researcher Lunna Lopes will outline these and other key findings. This survey was conducted with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Silver Giving Foundation, and the Stuart Foundation.
blog post Learning Recovery for Homeless Students Lags behind Other High-Need Groups By Brett Guinan, Julien Lafortune Mar 13, 2024 In the last in a series on K–12 students who have experienced homelessness, we look at how these youth are faring academically. While learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic affected all student groups, students experiencing homeless are falling behind other high-need learners as California emerges from the pandemic.
blog post College Readiness and the New State Exams By Jacob Jackson Sep 22, 2015 Results of the new statewide tests show that about half of 11th-grade students are at least conditionally ready for college level courses in English and less than a third are ready for college level math courses.
Report K–12 Reforms and California’s English Learner Achievement Gap By Laura Hill May 30, 2018 English Learner (EL) students have been a key part of California’s K–12 system for decades. They currently make up about 21 percent of the public school population. English Learner status is meant to be temporary, and indeed, reclassified English Learners (those who are deemed English proficient) are among the best-performing students in the state. But students who remain ELs for longer periods generally have poor outcomes.
blog post Comparing College Readiness across States By Jacob Jackson Oct 20, 2016 The new 11th-grade tests show how California compares to other states in preparing all students for college.
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.
blog post Implications of Chronic Absenteeism for Student Learning By Laura Hill, Emmanuel Prunty Apr 4, 2023 Chronic absenteeism among California’s K–12 students increased dramatically during the pandemic. Schools with larger increases in absenteeism saw steeper declines in student performance on state tests, especially in math.
blog post Testimony: How an Integrated Data System Could Improve Education By Jacob Jackson Apr 11, 2018 California needs a statewide integrated longitudinal data system to help evaluate and improve its education system.
blog post Can Mandatory College Entrance Exams Boost College Access? By Jacob Jackson Mar 27, 2017 Mandatory college entrance exams could remove a barrier to college entry for California students.
Fact Sheet College Readiness in California By Iwunze Ugo, Laura Hill Dec 4, 2023 More Californians are graduating from high school, but many graduates are underprepared for higher education and there are racial/ethnic and income disparities. Closing these gaps will require sustained efforts across the state's K–12 system.