event Do Registration Reforms Add New Voters or Keep Californians Registered? Mar 12, 2024 In recent years, new voter registration and voter address updates have surged—due largely to California’s new process for automatic voter registration. In a presentation of a new report, PPIC researcher Eric McGhee will outline the ways in which registration reforms have increased or maintained the voter rolls and join report co-author Mindy Romero in discussing efforts needed to improve voter engagement.
blog post Community Colleges and Career Technical Education By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn Mar 30, 2016 It is crucial to understand the ability of California’s community colleges to effectively train a diverse health-care workforce for the jobs of the future.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Mary Severance Oct 23, 2023 Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program provides an early year of schooling within California’s K–12 system. Now that the program is being expanded to all four-year-olds, it is important to take stock of its impact so far—especially among multilingual students and students with disabilities, who might benefit from additional support early on.
event Funding Education in California Aug 9, 2023 Ten years ago, California implemented a new funding plan for public K–12 education. The goal of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was to improve student outcomes and increase equity by providing more resources to districts with larger populations of low-income students, English language learners, and foster youth. How has this funding approach served our students? Following a brief presentation by PPIC research fellow Julien Lafortune, PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye will moderate a conversation with a panel of experts, including Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction; Josh Hoover, assemblymember; and Ben Chida, chief deputy cabinet secretary, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
blog post Covering the Real Costs of College By Kevin Cook Dec 11, 2019 With many students struggling to afford California’s high cost of living, state policymakers have sought to reform financial aid programs to address the full cost of attending college.
Report Low-Income Students and School Meal Programs in California By Caroline Danielson Mar 12, 2015 School nutrition programs help improve nutrition among vulnerable children. In so doing, they help build a better future for these children and the state. Now that California is implementing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), there is additional reason to make sure all students who are eligible for free or low-cost meals enroll in these programs. Along with English Learners and foster youth, low-income students—in other words, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals—are targeted for additional funds under the LCFF. This renewed focus on enrollment could also prompt further consideration of participation in school nutrition programs. This report looks at factors that might be linked to variations in student enrollment and participation in free or reduced-price meals. Not surprisingly, we find that districts with higher poverty rates identify higher levels of eligibility than wealthier districts. Low-income high school students appear to be enrolled at levels comparable to younger students, but students in elementary school districts are much more likely to participate in lunch programs than students in other types of districts. We also find that schools in districts with higher shares of foreign-born residents have modestly lower participation levels (but not identification of low-income students). Finally, we find evidence that schools with smaller enrollments are more successful than larger schools at identifying and serving low-income students. One way to further the goal of full enrollment among low-income students is to cut the large share of low-income students who must submit applications for free or reduced-price meals. Achieving this objective is arguably an important part of a larger state effort to integrate social safety net programs and services.
press release Special Survey On Californians And The Initiative Process: Bad Time For The Ballot Box: Californians Disapprove Of Special Election, Schwarzenegger, State Government Aug 25, 2005
Report How Did Pandemic Recovery Funding Support California Community Colleges? By Olga Rodriguez, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Kevin Cook May 8, 2024 How did California Community Colleges use billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid, and what were the outcomes? A new report explores how these investments contributed to positive student engagement and a successful transition to online classes. It also offers policy suggestions for sustained momentum forward.
Report Preparing Students for Success in California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez Nov 9, 2016 Community colleges identify 80 percent of incoming students as underprepared for college-level work. Fewer than half of these students advance to and succeed in a college course (44% in English and 27% in math). Concerns about poor outcomes have led to institutional reforms. This research was supported with funding from The Sutton Family Fund.
