blog post The Importance of California’s Tax Ranking By Mark Baldassare Apr 7, 2015 A growing share of likely voters say that California’s state and local tax burden is "near the top” compared to other states.
blog post Helping K–12 Students Recover from the Pandemic By Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Julien Lafortune Mar 10, 2022 Increased state and federal resources will play a key role as California helps students overcome learning disruptions of the past two years, though longer-term challenges remain.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Stephanie Barton May 18, 2022 A wide body of recent research offers insights into how and where additional dollars to fund K–12 public schools can improve student outcomes such as test scores and graduation rates. Estimates also reveal how long it may take to close gaps by race and income, based on current trends in funding.
Report School Finance By Margaret Weston Nov 14, 2012 There is broad consensus that California's school finance system is inequitable, inadequate, and overly complex. In response to these critiques, this year Governor Jerry Brown proposed an overhaul of our school finance system. Also, two initiatives on the November ballot asked voters to increase education funding through tax increases: voters approved Proposition 30, which was integral to the governor's budget plan, and rejected Proposition 38, a citizens' initiative. Despite the passage of Proposition 30, California faces many school finance challenges. This report provides an overview of the state's school finance system and outlines some longstanding school finance issues that may be in play next year.
press release PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians And Their Government, California Voters: What They Don’t Know Could Hurt Us? May 30, 2007
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Lunna Lopes Apr 10, 2018 Key findings from the current survey: Californians are concerned about the threat of a mass shooting in their local schools, but a majority oppose arming more teachers and school officials. Majorities are concerned about the impact of immigration enforcement on undocumented students in local public schools and their families.
blog post Medi-Cal and the Fall Election By Shannon McConville, Paul Warren Dec 8, 2016 Three initiatives passed in November provide up to $3 billion in additional funds for Medi-Cal each year. But their impact will depend on questions yet to be answered.
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.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Apr 27, 2022 More than four in ten parents say their children have fallen behind academically during the pandemic. While most Californians approve of the way Governor Newsom is handling public K–12 education, many believe its quality has declined over the past few years.