The LCFF fosters accountability through districts’ use of LCAPs and District Dashboard metrics aligned to state priorities. The state’s new system of support is designed to assist districts whose Dashboard results have fallen short of expectations and is intended to advance both equity and excellence by helping districts shift from a culture of compliance to one of support and continuous improvement. CEOs play a key role in the system of support. In this seminar, PACE researchers will share new work on the changing role of COEs and lessons from early implementation of new structures.

College access is more important than ever, and the time is right for a fresh look at the research on college admissions and the implications for education equity. PACE and UC Berkeley bring together an amazing group of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Speakers include leaders from the State Board of Education, each of California’s institutions of higher education (UC, CSU, and community colleges), K-12 school districts, the College Board, and advocacy organizations, along with experts in college admissions and access from universities across California and nationwide.

In this seminar, Pivot Learning will discuss two case studies aimed at better understanding the ways in which California districts’ budget challenges impact their ability to serve students. The cases explore this impact in two unique locations: the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Marin County Unified School District. These reports find that, in Sacramento, increasing health care costs and poor business practices have led to deficit spending and cuts to programs and services.

Since 2014-15, the CORE districts have surveyed students in grades 4-12 on their social-emotional learning (SEL). School and district leaders use these measures in the context of CORE’s multiple measures data system to understand and improve student and school outcomes. In this webinar, researchers will discuss: How student reports of their self-management, growth mindset, and self-efficacy change over time, vary by subgroup, and are related to other outcomes; student response patterns; and the impact of classrooms and teachers on students’ social-emotional development.

In line with LCFF and California’s ESSA plan, districts and schools across the state are increasingly seeking to use continuous improvement to identify areas of focus and to shape their approach to addressing performance gaps and improve student outcomes. In this seminar, Alix Gallagher (PACE) will present lessons learned about these critical questions from the most recent research report and case studies, and Rick Miller (CORE districts) will discuss how these findings are influencing CORE’s approach moving forward.

In this webinar, PACE will highlight two of CORE’s innovative data approaches: their school impact model and student surveys of social-emotional learning. Researchers, representatives from the CORE Districts, and two district leaders will discuss the importance of using a school growth model to understand school performance, share new research on applying a growth model to social-emotional learning surveys, and discuss how to think about the reporting of academic and social-emotional measures for different purposes and users.

Join us for a seminar in which Getting Down to Facts II Researcher Paul Bruno, will present his PACE report on the challenges of employee and retiree health benefit costs for California districts. Sac City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar will discuss the particular situation in Sacramento City, and CEO Michael Fine of FCMAT, will provide a broader perspective on districts across the state and what some possible approaches are to solving the financial pressures facing school districts as a result of escalating health care costs.

Sound, timely data is critical to making good decisions about schooling policy and practice. Despite California’s investments and improvements in a statewide data system, important data from CALPADS are still fragmented and generally inaccessible to district-level personnel while the system is not geared toward helping districts measure progress toward specific goals in real time. Stronger data systems can be found both outside and inside the state. In this seminar, we reveal key findings about California’s data systems and the challenges and opportunities for improving them.

Over the past 10 years, California's PreK-12 public school system has seen transformative changes in almost every arena, from academic standards and accountability to resource allocation through the funding formula. The Getting Down to Facts II project brought together over 100 of the country's top education scholars to examine these changes and assess our progress. The project's 36 studies focused on student success, governance systems, personnel issues, and school finance, and together, they can help build a common understanding of where we are that can be used to guide further improvements.

Education experts from PACE, LPI, and Opportunity Institute present a Plenary Session introducing CA’s education system to education scholars and leaders from countries around the world. They will discuss the historical roots of the many challenges facing CA’s schools and teachers, promising changes in the state’s education policy framework, and ongoing concerns about whether new policies will lead to meaningful improvements in the education policy framework, and ongoing concerns about whether new policies will lead to meaningful improvements in the education provided to CA students.

Since the adoption of the LCFF, CA’s public school funding structures have become more straightforward, transparent. Additionally, per pupil spending has increased, but remains below the national average. Comparisons between CA and other states in terms of funding levels and policy put CA’s public school spending in context and help to identify opportunities for improved funding measures. PACE researchers summarize findings on CA’s funding structures and trends, detailing gaps between current and adequate spending.

California supports the learning of 1.3 million English students and has the highest proportion of EL students in the nation. With the adoption of the California English Learner Roadmap by the State Board of Education and the passage of Prop 58, state support has grown for improved services. Consideration of the needs of the diverse EL student population is essential as it evolves at all education levels. In this seminar, PACE researchers present the needs of California's EL students, barriers to their success, and potential tools districts can use to support their EL populations.

More than 100 researchers from across the nation have focused their attention on the current status of California’s schools as part of the Getting Down to Facts II project. This fall, the project released 36 detailed studies that examined progress and challenges in student success and provide a comprehensive overview of the state’s preK-12 finance, personnel, and governance systems.

In 2014, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1469 requiring teachers and school districts, along with the state government to substantially increase their respective contributions to the California State Teachers' Retirement System. The state has accrued significant pension debt for an extended time totaling approximately $107 billion, and there is no short-term solution to solving this problem. In this seminar Cory Koedel provides the background for how and why CalSTRS finds itself in this situation and discusses potential policy options for reform moving forward.

Rural school districts face unique challenges in procuring funds, recruiting staff, and obtaining high-quality technical assistance. This environment creates challenges in implementing best practices. A collaborative learning network can address these challenges by providing access to professional development, collaborative time with peer districts, and economies of scale. Pivot Learning designed the Rural Professional Learning Network to address this need. In this seminar, based on a recent PACE report, lessons learned from a rural network in El Dorado County will be discussed.

Public school funding is a complex but vital area of interest in CA. In this seminar, the challenges of financing public education are highlighted in two areas: funding for facility maintenance and modernization, and special education for students with disabilities. CA’s vast inventory of school facilities vary widely in age and condition, and estimates for CA school facility maintenance and modernization over the next 10 years top $100 billion. With the advent of the LCFF, there has been increased focus on helping students with disabilities succeed in school but many districts lack funding.

Leading experts and practitioners discuss the state’s ambitious goals of expanding high-quality early education and care statewide. Learn more about California’s constraints and opportunities. The webinar, part of an ongoing series of deeper dives into the Getting Down To Facts II research released earlier this year, is co-sponsored by PACE and the Learning Policy Institute.

Once a national leader in early childhood education, California faces unique challenges in addressing the educational and developmental needs of the nearly 24 million children. Compared to the rest of the US, twice as many of these children live in families without a parent fluent in English, and an additional one in five live in poverty. The current early childhood education system consists of an array of underfunded and incoherent programs that under-serve children, families, and workers. In this seminar Deborah Stipek highlights inefficiencies and potential areas of improvement.

Leading experts and practitioners discuss the state’s ambitious goals of expanding high-quality early education and care statewide. In a conversation moderated by EdSource’s Louis Freedberg, learn more about California’s constraints and opportunities. The webinar, part of an ongoing series of deeper dives into the Getting Down To Facts research released earlier this year, is co-sponsored by PACE and the Learning Policy Institute.

Policy Analysis for California Education and the Learning Policy Institute invite you to an event on how schools can be organized to support the whole child, featuring a series of panels with leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

In this webinar, researchers and practitioners in the CORE districts will discuss both SEL measurement and practice, based on this just-released report and new quantitative work coming soon on the validity of the SEL measures used within CORE.

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), will put the spotlight on education during the Gubernatorial Education Forum. Join this lively discussion, moderated by ABC7 Eyewitness News co-anchor Marc Brown, to learn more about each candidates’ vision for California’s public schools.

The Center on Education Policy, Equity and Governance ( CEPEG) & Policy Analysis for California Education ( PACE) invite you to a Policy Forum for Candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

PACE’s annual research and policy conference is the premier event for policymakers, researchers, advocates and local education leaders who are working to define and sustain a long-term strategy for comprehensive policy reform and continuous improvement in California’s education system. Our conference will focus on three key education policy issues: ensuring educational equity under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), rethinking policy and practice in special education, and strengthening alignment between California’s pre–K and K–12 education systems.

Including students with learning disabilities in traditional schools and classrooms has been an increasing priority in CA. A current study surveys a cohort of graduating teaching candidates from a large research university. It examines what factors of candidates’ preparation related to feeling prepared to work with these students. Findings indicated candidates who believed that edTPA was an effective tool for becoming a teacher also believed that the assessment helped prepare them to work with students with learning disabilities. Implications for preparation and policy are discussed.