Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler Apr 22, 2020 Key findings from the current survey include many California parents see school closures for COVID-19 as somewhat of a problem and are concerned with providing productive learning at home. An overwhelming majority of parents approve of school districts’ handling of closures and Governor Newsom’s handling of K–12 education. As optimism wanes about the economy, views on school bonds are mixed.
blog post Governor Proposes Minor Changes to K-12 Funding Levels By Paul Warren May 14, 2014 Under the governor’s plan, schools would receive about $8,800 for each student—an increase of $780 from 2013–14.
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.
press release Special Survey on Education: Californians Give K-12 Public Education Poor Grades But Have Great Expectations For Their Kids Apr 28, 2005
blog post Are K–12 Students Keeping Pace in Math? By Paul Warren, Julien Lafortune Oct 12, 2018 The 2018 SBAC results of California's K–12 students show modest improvements over last year. But focusing on longer-term outcomes could be more instructive.
blog post Video: Californians and Education By Mary Severance Apr 29, 2019 In PPIC’s latest statewide survey, most Californians say they want Governor Newsom to prioritize K-12 education, while public opinion is mixed on charter schools.
blog post Chronic Absenteeism in K–12 Schools Remains Troublingly High By Emmanuel Prunty, Laura Hill Feb 20, 2024 The rate of chronic absenteeism in California schools declined slightly during the 2022-23 school year but is still double what it was prior to the pandemic. Districts that have conducted student outreach in partnership with community organizations have had promising results in bringing down absenteeism.
interactive Changes in K–12 Enrollment across California’s Counties Feb 12, 2020 The state’s K–12 system may be entering a long period of declining enrollment. But statewide trends tell only part of the story and can mask important differences across counties and districts. This interactive map allows you to see historical and projected changes in K–12 enrollment in each of California’s 58 counties.
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.
blog post California’s K–12 Educational Progress: Good News and Bad News By Niu Gao, Courtney Lee Apr 18, 2018 California's K–12 students have made gains in reading scores, but achievement gaps remain for English Learner, low-income, and African American and Latino students.