Past Events

Mar
19
2018
Topic

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.

Feb
2
2018
Topic

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.

Dec
14
2017
Topic

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.

Nov
14
2017
Over the Hill from LA But Out of Sight
Topic

The Invisible California is a new series from Pivot and PACE that highlights the educational needs of some of the most underserved parts of California. Join us in LA and Sacramento as we discuss the results of our research study on the educational and community landscape of the Antelope Valley, an area of Northern Los Angeles County the size of Rhode Island. The paper focuses on the rapid growth and stunning demographic changes of the school districts and communities of the region.

Jun
22
2017
Topic

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is excited to invite you to The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Implementation and Impact Conference. Panels will address three key sets of issues: Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement California’s Infrastructure of Support for Schools and School Districts What Have We Learned After Four Years of LCFF Implementation?

May
19
2017
Lessons from Regional Cross-Sector Collaborations
Topic

JFF will briefly present key findings from a recently released study on the second year of CCPT implementation (2015-2016) that focuses largely on three issues: changing mindsets about career and technical education, improving communication among stakeholders, and building sustainable regional networks. The seminar will highlight CCPT implementation successes and challenges through the lens of regional career pathway development, particularly the connections between school districts and community colleges and ideas for strengthening them.

Apr
21
2017
Topic

Motivated by statewide efforts to improve persistence and completion rates in college, the goal of Early Start is to better prepare students in math and English before their first semester at CSU. Specifically, Early Start requires all incoming students who do not meet the threshold on the entry level math or English proficiency requirements to take a designated developmental education course in the summer before their freshman year. In this seminar Michal Kurlaender will present results from a study that examines the impact of Early Start on persistence rates and achievement in the CSU.

Mar
10
2017
Issues and Challenges
Topic

The adoption of the LCFF in 2013 marked a radical change in direction in California’s public school finance and governance system, guided by the principles of subsidiarity, equity, and continuous improvement. The members of the LCFF Research Collaborative have been working to track and analyze implementation of the LCFF over time. In this seminar members of the Collaborative will present key findings from field research during the third year of LCFF implementation. The first two years of Collaborative research looked broadly at LCFF implementation in districts and County Offices of Education.

Feb
24
2017
Early Evidence from Los Angeles
Topic

Governor Brown’s landmark finance reform —the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) —has shifted large quantities of new revenue to school districts that serve large concentrations of poor children, but less is known about how districts are distributing resources to local schools. Are the schools that educate large numbers of poor children receiving additional resources in proportion to the share of kids who generate the new revenues? Can we detect organizational improvements in these schools? Are the financial and organizational changes supported by LCFF making teachers’ working conditions

Jan
27
2017
PACE Research and Policy Conference
Topic

PACE’s inaugural conference is the premier event for policymakers, researchers, advocates and other leaders working to define and sustain a long-term strategy for comprehensive policy reform and continuous improvement of California’s education system. Our full-day conference will engage with three key education policy issues: school funding adequacy, teacher policies and cross-system-alignment. Registered participants will learn about the key policy debates and research based best-practices through conference plenaries and workshops.

Jan
20
2017
Topic

There are many reasons to think that instructional practices and curriculum content that are aligned with minority students’ experiences will lead to improved school performance and help to close achievement gaps. Ethnic studies courses are one example of such “culturally relevant pedagogy” (CRP), but empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these courses in raising achievement among at-risk students is limited. In this seminar Emily Penner presents results from a study of the implementation of an ethnic studies curriculum in one California school district.

Dec
9
2016
Issues and Evidence
Topic

In this seminar Morgan Polikoff reports findings from his research on school and district textbook adoptions in math, English language arts, and science. He presents quantitative evidence from SARCs and statewide longitudinal achievement data on the spread of new materials, timing of implementation, distribution across districts and schools, and impact on student outcomes. This with insights via interviews of district leaders on policies, practices guiding local curriculum adoption decisions in CA, alongside the utility of SARC data, and challenges scholars face using them for research.

Nov
18
2016
Rural District Implementation of Common Core State Standards
Topic

Nearly every county and legislative district in California has a rural and/or small school district. All school districts face challenges in their efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), but these issues may be exacerbated among school districts located in under-resourced, isolated regions of the state. In this seminar Tom Timar discusses the challenges of rural and/or small districts to overcome the limitations that size and geography have imposed on them, and proposes solutions to overcome these limitations.

Nov
9
2016
How SEL Supports Student Success
Topic

Being able to manage your emotions and behavior, interact effectively with other people, and persevere through challenges are decidedly common skills we draw on in multiple settings. Given this reality, it’s important to understand the “how” of SEL, including conditions for successful implementation, the importance of continuous quality improvement, and the opportunity to leverage after school and summer resources for full day, full year learning. This seminar will explore SEL in both the school-day and expanded learning settings and include real-world examples from the SCUSD.

Oct
14
2016
Findings from the CORE-PACE Research Partnership
Topic

ESSA makes sweeping changes to the way school performance is measured, and shifts decisions about how to define school quality and how to support struggling schools back to states and districts. The CORE Districts’ innovative accountability system is aligned with both LCFF and ESSA requirements, and includes many measures that the State Board of Education is considering for inclusion in CA's emerging accountability system. In this seminar Heather Hough, Rick Miller, and Noah Bookman provide an overview of what has been learned in the first year of the CORE-PACE Research Partnership.

Aug
19
2016
Topic

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) makes sweeping changes to the way school performance is measured. Using the innovative measurement system developed by the CORE Districts in California, our CORE-PACE Research Partnership will present the research findings from, "Identity Crisis: Multiple Measures and the Identification of Schools under ESSA."

Jul
5
2016
Comparing Different Student Subgroup Sizes for Accountability
Topic

With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, California state policymakers are tasked with determining the subgroup threshold for school-level reporting. To inform this decision, this policy brief explores the implications of utilizing various subgroup sizes using data from the CORE Districts. In this seminar, PACE authors present findings that the 20+ subgroup size presents clear advantages in terms of the number of students represented, particularly in making historically underserved student populations visible.

Apr
15
2016
Evidence from the Los Angeles Unified School District
Topic

During the Great Recession, California school districts laid off unprecedented numbers of teachers. In this seminar, Katharine Strunk presents findings that assess the effects of receiving a layoff notice on teacher mobility and teacher effectiveness. Her analyses are based on six years of detailed panel data, including four years of teacher layoffs, from the Los Angeles Unified School District. She finds strong evidence that the receipt of a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice increases the likelihood that teachers will leave their schools, even if the teacher is not ultimately laid off.

Mar
11
2016
Topic

The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd is conducting research on the experiences of California teachers as they implement the new CA Standards. As a part of this work, the Center is conducting a series of focus groups to give voice to teachers in the process of implementation. In this seminar, Robert Sheffield will present findings from the first round of focus groups. In his discussion, he will offer an analysis of how the findings fit within the policy context defined by CA's new funding and accountability systems, and will present recommendations for policy leaders.

Feb
29
2016
Topic

Don’t miss the Learning Policy Institute, The Opportunity Institute, New America, Educare California at Silicon Valley & Early Learning Lab as they present new research briefs to inform the policy conversation on California’s Early Education System, with responses from policy makers and practitioners.

Feb
19
2016
Implementing SB 1440 in California Community Colleges
Topic

Most of the students who set out to earn degrees in California Community Colleges never do. The reasons behind these low rates of persistence and completion have long been a focus of policy and popular concern, and a variety of strategies have been adopted to tackle the problem. In this seminar, Rachel Baker will present findings that show how students, and schools, reacted to SB 1440, which created the Associates Degree for Transfer.

Jan
22
2016
Topic

To address the issues of truancy and chronic absenteeism, Michael Gottfried has partnered with Attorney General Kamala Harris to develop strategies to reduce truancy among elementary school students in public schools throughout California. These “Truancy Reduction Pilot Projects” include a two-phase study on elementary school early intervention and prevention practices in a handful of model school districts throughout the state. In this seminar, Gottfried will present findings from the first, pre-implementation phase of the study.

Jan
19
2016
New Evidence and Policy Responses
Topic

The conference will present new evidence on the scale of California’s emerging teacher shortage, with a particular focus on already critical shortages of teachers in specific fields and regions. It will also feature presentations on new approaches to teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention that might help to ameliorate the worst impacts of the shortage on California students. Presenters and panelists will include senior researchers, policy leaders, and local practitioners. This conference is cosponsored by PACE), the Learning Policy Institute, and the Education Policy Center at AIR.

Dec
11
2015
The CORE-PACE Research Partnership
Topic

Under a waiver granted by the federal government, the six CORE Districts (Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Ana) have developed the School Quality Improvement System (SQIS). In this seminar, Rick Miller, David Plank, and Heather Hough will discuss the CORE-PACE research partnership with a particular focus on the unique features of the SQIS and their implications for the new state accountability policy that is currently under development in California.

Nov
18
2015
Topic

The forum will explore the role that social-emotional learning plays in supporting young people's academic achievement and well-being. Experts will present the latest research on measuring social-emotional outcomes. School district leaders will talk about emerging practices at the district, school, and instructional levels, including perspectives from the CORE initiative, the charter school movement, and the expanded learning field. The forum will close with opportunities for the audience to discuss policy implications and hear reactions from policymakers and researchers.