Oakland mom Azlinah Tambu vividly remembers the moment that would transform her from the law-abiding, neighborhood school mom into a trespassing activist threatened with jail time. For months, Tambu, whose two children were then in elementary school, and others had...
Statewide efforts to increase rates of dual enrollment participation among high school students were paying off prior to the pandemic, but have stalled since students returned to in-person instruction, according to a recent breakdown from Policy Analysis for California Education...
A Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) commentary by UCLA Luskin Professor of Social Welfare Laura Wray-Lake highlights the first time that 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in school board elections in two California cities. Oakland and...
For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds in Oakland and Berkeley, California, are voting in school board elections, thanks to local measures passed in 2020 and 2016, respectively. These policies were the result of sustained efforts by the Oakland Youth Vote coalition, working with the Oakland Unified School District and Alameda County Registrar of Voters. Oakland and Berkeley join a growing number of U.S. cities, including Newark and several in Maryland, that allow teens to vote in local elections. Advocates argue that younger voting ages enhance civic engagement, boost political knowledge, and encourage life-long voting habits. This year’s elections in Oakland and Berkeley are seen as a critical test for the implementation of this policy, offering potential insights into its impact on student civic education and participation.
San Francisco must do everything it can to avert a state takeover of its schools. That’s the stark message brought by Carl A. Cohn, the only outside educator to be brought in to help the team of city administrators set...
For the first time since COVID-19 hit, California students demonstrated slight across-the-board gains in math, English and science according to statewide standardized testing data released Thursday. The news offers a glimmer of hope for some in the face of concerns...
As the San Francisco Unified School District deliberates over a tentative list of school closures, it will have to account for the fact that the district’s enrollment has declined for several years—and could fall much further. But San Francisco’s public...
A recent report from Policy Analysis for California Education aims to provide education leaders with a better understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can be used in education by exploring its potential strengths and limitations. Generative AI in...
Falling enrollments and gloomy economics point to the inevitable: Many school districts in California will close schools over the next decade. So far, they have been mainly elementary and middle schools, but high schools, spared until now, won’t escape, a...
The rise of AI promises new solutions to long-standing challenges. It also introduces some challenges of its own. In addition to concerns over privacy, bias and reliability, AI is driving a flood of new products in a broad range of...
English learners (ELs) are the fastest-growing demographic in US public schools. Migration to industrialized nations like the US will continue to drive that growth. By 2031, 72% of jobs in the US will require postsecondary education or training.2 English is...
California is poised today to announce which schools will share a windfall to bolster career paths for students – but delays and mishaps have meant that thousands of students missed the opportunity to participate. An estimated 300 K-12 schools will...
After nearly a decade at PACE, I am writing to announce that I am stepping down from my role as executive director. My time leading PACE has been an extraordinary journey, and I am immensely proud of what we have built together.
From Oceanside to Cajon Valley to Chula Vista, school board candidates across San Diego County are making the fight for and against what’s been described as “parental rights” part of their platforms. The loose term has evolved since it gained...
California’s public schools have a numbers problem—and it’s not just that their students don’t score very highly in national tests of mathematics ability. Their other numbers problem is the financial squeeze posed by declining enrollment, especially in large urban districts...
A bill that could lead to changes in the way California public schools are funded—and send more money to most of them—has been sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature. California is one of seven states that fund...
A bill that could lead to changes in the way California public schools are funded—and send more money to most of them—is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature. California is one of seven states that fund schools...
When global events unfold, the ripple effects often land in unexpected places—like a classroom in Oakland, California. Increased refugee resettlement, immigration at the U.S. southern border and the buses sent by Texas to cities like New York have created a...
Former President Donald J. Trump is set to speak Friday evening to a gathering of Moms for Liberty, a conservative activist group whose priorities mirror much of his own education platform. Like Mr. Trump, they have called for stricter classroom...
Recognizing this broad concern, Berkeley Law’s newest research center aims to expand knowledge of underlying causes and train students to become effective guardians of our political system. The Edley Center on Law & Democracy, named after former dean Christopher Edley...
Bay Area counties fare better than most of the state when it comes to completion of high school courses required for admission to a four-year public university, a Chronicle analysis found — a factor that has a strong impact on...
When a new intervention or program is introduced, the conventional wisdom among many seasoned educators is, “This too shall pass.” This attitude doesn’t mean an intervention is not promising or educators are not flexible and innovative. Rather, it emerges from...
With all the hubris of a startup founder, Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, took to the stage in March to launch Ed the chatbot. He told parents and students it had “the potential to personalize the...
As the presidential election heats up heading into the fall, experts say local school board races are becoming more politicized and partisan, eliciting various responses from states and districts. Julie Marsh, a professor of education at the University of Southern...
