blog post How Has California Narrowed Its K–12 Digital Divide? By Niu Gao, Joseph Hayes, Darriya Starr Apr 5, 2022 Since the onset of the pandemic, educators and policymakers have made substantial strides in addressing two key barriers to universal digital access—affordability and infrastructure.
blog post Video: A Conversation with Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond By Mary Severance Aug 19, 2020 Superintendent Thurmond talks with PPIC’s Mark Baldassare about how the state can support school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report California School Districts and the Emergency Connectivity Fund By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Jun 18, 2024 How well did federal pandemic funds improve digital access for historically underserved K–12 students and their families? A new report details how districts worked to close California’s digital divide in education, with suggestions for building momentum now that a key program has ended.
blog post California Schools Mull Timing, Logistics of Re-opening By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Jun 9, 2020 The experiences of several countries in Asia and Europe could help inform when and how California schools start to re-open.
Report Surveying the Landscape of California’s English Learner Reclassification Policy By Laura Hill, Andrew Lee, Joseph Hayes Feb 10, 2021 Measuring the progress of English Learners grew more complex after California schools switched to online learning, as some tools to assess students became unavailable. This report shares results from our survey of district policies and offers recommendations for standardizing reclassification criteria.
blog post Test Scores Show Six-Year Setback for California Students By Darriya Starr, Emmanuel Prunty, Joseph Herrera, Iwunze Ugo Dec 14, 2022 Recently released standardized test scores show sharp declines in proficiency among the state’s fourth graders—reversing nearly six years of progress. The declines were sharpest among Black, Latino, and low-income students but do not appear to be tied to length of school closures during COVID.
blog post Digging into Enrollment Drops at California Public Schools By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty May 14, 2021 Statewide, public K–12 enrollment declined nearly 3%—or over 160,000 students—in 2020–21, with kindergarten numbers falling the most.
blog post Private Schooling Played a Small Role in Declining Public School Enrollment By Emmanuel Prunty, Julien Lafortune Sep 11, 2023 Private schooling in California increased substantially during the pandemic. Still, it accounts for a small share of total K–12 enrollment and is not a major factor in public school declines, which are driven largely by broader demographic shifts.
blog post Enrollment Changes May Create Winners and Losers in K–12 Budget Deal By Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra Jul 14, 2020 Because the new state budget funds school districts based on enrollment from the prior year, growing districts could receive less funding per student this year.
blog post Commentary: How Rural Schools Survived the Pandemic By Niu Gao Oct 12, 2022 Educational disruptions caused by the pandemic presented unique challenges for rural schools in California. Still, some rural districts and schools have made significant strides in bridging the digital divide, addressing teacher shortages, and supporting English learners.
