blog post California Needs More College Prep Courses By Niu Gao Nov 30, 2017 To improve student readiness for college, districts and schools need to increase the number of college prep courses.
Report Funding California Schools When Budgets Fall Short By Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra, Jennifer Paluch Oct 5, 2020 Even as districts prioritize safety amid COVID-19, they face hard choices as they try to maintain services and balance budgets. By examining district reserves and spending, this report aims to understand how the Great Recession affected K–12 funding and how prepared districts are now to manage future cuts.
blog post Video: Implementing California’s School Funding Formula By Linda Strean Mar 17, 2015 Challenges to implementation of California’s new funding formula was the focus of a presentation and panel discussion in Sacramento.
blog post Governor Newsom Proposes New Investments in Math and Science Teachers By Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra Jan 16, 2020 In the state budget proposal he released last week, the governor calls for new spending to address the teacher shortage in high-need subjects.
Report Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill Oct 23, 2023 California’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program provides an early year of schooling within the K–12 system. Launched a decade ago with limited eligibility, TK will soon be open to all four-year-olds. Taking stock of the program’s impact so far—especially among multilingual and special education students—can help TK expansion succeed.
blog post Are Summer School Programs Reaching Students Who Need Them Most? By Darriya Starr, Niu Gao Mar 3, 2023 Nearly three in ten California students attended summer programs in 2022, on par with the national average. In light of significant disparities in how the pandemic affected learning, we look at participation in these programs and the role new federal and state investments might play in expanding educational opportunities.
Report Passing the California High School Exit Exam: Have Recent Policies Improved Student Performance? By Julian Betts, Andrew C. Zau, Yendrick Zieleniak, Karen Bachofer Jun 26, 2012 Recent interventions aimed at students who have failed the CAHSEE have not meaningfully improved passage rates in San Diego. This finding underlines the need to help struggling students before they reach high school. To help California school districts identify these students, the authors introduce the CAHSEE Early Warning Model. This report was supported with funding from the Donald Bren Foundation.
blog post Proposed Budget Prioritizes College Students in Need By Kevin Cook Feb 8, 2019 Governor Newsom's proposed budget increases funding for higher education, including programs that would bolster aid for students in need.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: California School Districts and the Emergency Connectivity Fund By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao, Chansonette Buck Jun 18, 2024 How well did federal pandemic funding improve digital access for historically underserved K–12 students and their families? Districts focused on building connectivity—rather than purchasing devices—but more work is needed to narrow the digital divide.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ... Jun 28, 2023 States received billions in one-time stimulus funds to help recover from pandemic disruptions to education. California allocated much of its money to districts based on their shares of low-income students, which largely targeted schools with lower achievement levels rather than greater learning loss.
