blog post K–12 Test Scores Vary Widely across Student Groups By Paul Warren Oct 20, 2017 The 2017 test results for California’s public K–12 school students underscore the need to improve outcomes for economically disadvantaged students, English Learners, and students with disabilities.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Apr 30, 2008 Some findings of the current survey: More than half (53%) of the state’s residents say the quality of K-12 public schools is a major problem. Blacks (72%) and whites (60%) are much more likely than Latinos (42%) and Asians (38%) to say that educational quality is a big problem. But more than half of Californians (54%) give their public schools an A (18%) or B (36%). Among public school parents, 27 percent give an A and 40 percent a B. A strong majority (60%) of Californians choose K-12 public education as the area they would like to protect from budget cuts. This is the 85th PPIC Statewide Survey. It is part of a series covering K-12, higher education, environment, and population issues. This survey includes the responses of 2,502 Californians and is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
blog post Three Bills Signal State of Education Policy By Iwunze Ugo Nov 21, 2016 A review of the fates of three bills, the state budget, and recent administrative actions helps illustrate the current state of education policy in California.
blog post How COVID-19 Closures May Disrupt Student Learning By Julien Lafortune Apr 2, 2020 It appears increasingly likely that California’s K-12 schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year. What could this mean for student learning? And what might be done to reduce the negative effects?
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lunna Lopes Nov 1, 2017 Key findings from the current survey: Most Californians (56%) say affordability is a big problem in the state’s public colleges and universities. Only 18 percent say overall quality is a big problem.
blog post Funding Measures and the June Ballot By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Jennifer Paluch Jun 11, 2018 In the June primary, Californians voted on a variety of measures ranging from parcel taxes to bridge tolls to cannabis taxes—and most of them passed.
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.
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.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes By Julien Lafortune, Stephanie Barton Oct 6, 2021 Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), more money now reaches high-need districts, and these districts spend most of that money on schools with greater need. Students are seeing some benefits from the LCFF, as seen in higher test scores, though disparities by student income, race, and language status remain large.
blog post K–12 Enrollment Declines Vary across Districts By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty Jun 16, 2021 Public school enrollment in California declined by nearly 3% between 2019–20 and 2020–21. Drops in enrollment vary across school districts, though there is little evidence that the size of the decline is related to reopening, demographics, or other district-level factors.
