blog post What’s Next for California’s K–12 Enrollment? By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty, Vicki Hsieh Dec 9, 2021 The statewide decline in K–12 enrollment is projected to accelerate over the next decade, though with significant variation across counties.
blog post Computer Science in California’s K–12 Schools By Niu Gao Oct 26, 2016 The effort to expand computer science education in K–12 schools entails a number of challenges and opportunities.
blog post How Prevalent Is Policing in California Schools? By Andrew Lee, Joseph Hayes Sep 2, 2020 Across California, two-thirds of high school students, a quarter of middle-schoolers, and about one in ten elementary-grade students attend schools that use school resource officers (SROs), sworn police officers with the legal authority to make arrests.
blog post Reading the Tea Leaves on the Governor’s Recall By Mark Baldassare Apr 28, 2021 Views on Governor Newsom’s handling of K–12 education and the state’s economy—critical policy areas during the pandemic—could determine the fate of the recall effort.
blog post Video: Californians and Education By Mary Severance Apr 19, 2024 Researchers Deja Thomas and Dean Bonner discuss key findings from the latest PPIC Statewide Survey, which examines Californians’ views on the quality of K–12 public education, school funding and resources, and state officials’ handling of the K–12 system.
Report Are California’s Schools Ready for Online Testing and Learning? By Niu Gao Apr 6, 2015 In addition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), California is implementing a new, online assessment system: the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Field tests were conducted last spring and the system is being rolled out this year, amid concerns about whether schools are technologically prepared. Using survey data from the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA), this report examines school districts’ technology infrastructure and assesses their readiness for online testing. Three findings emerge. First, school districts express confidence in the quantity and quality of their hardware and network capabilities but remain concerned about software and training of instructional and IT staff. Second, there is sizable variation in readiness across districts, linked mainly to student enrollment and district expenditure levels. Third, a clear majority of the state’s onetime CCSS Implementation Fund is going into non-technology spending such as instructional materials and teacher training. Regardless of their current readiness, districts will need targeted and ongoing support to upgrade and maintain their technology infrastructure. In the longer term, virtually all schools will need to upgrade their technology infrastructure in order to adopt and benefit from digital learning.
Fact Sheet College Access in California By Iwunze Ugo Dec 4, 2023 About three in five Californians enroll in college right after high school. But whether—and where—high school graduates attend college varies across regions and demographic groups.
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.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Equitable State Funding for School Facilities By Julien Lafortune, Niu Gao, Mary Severance Mar 14, 2022 Funding for school facilities comes mostly from local sources and depends on local property wealth. California provides some funding through the School Facility Program (SFP), but many have noted that SFP privileges wealthier districts. Policymakers will need to identify equitable funding streams that give all students access to safe and effective learning environments
California Counts, Report The Linguistic Landscape of California Schools By Sonya Tafoya Feb 1, 2002 Explores the demographics of English learners (formerly known as limited-English-proficient or LEP students), who now account for nearly 25 percent of California's public school population. Examines trends over time and provides a current geographic portrait of the distribution of these students throughout the major regions of the state.
