It’s been eight years since then-Gov. Jerry Brown restructured California’s school funding formulas to direct billions of dollars to the state’s neediest students. But, in 2019, state Auditor Elaine Howle confirmed what critics had been saying for years: State and...

California’s landmark funding reform law needs to be fixed to help meet its promise of raising the achievement of underperforming student groups, conclude two recently published research studies. The co-authors of a third report, after examining recent research and interviewing...

While literacy is often seen as a cornerstone to scholastic achievement, and many parents devote a lot of time and energy into nurturing their small child’s love of reading, studies show that mathematical reasoning ability may be even more crucial...

In the broadest sense, LCFF embraced the conventional wisdom that altering the flow of money would profoundly affect educational outcomes. However, from its inception, LCFF has been awash in controversy—not over its concept, but rather its implementation. The latest attempt...

The Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF, ushered in a new era of school funding in California when it was adopted in 2013. It’s regarded by many as the most significant resource equity reform the state has ever enacted. But...

As Los Angeles Unified begins interviewing candidates for yet another superintendent, it must face a tough question: Has its unusual board governing structure blurred the lines between board member and superintendent and contributed to the steady churn in district leadership? Having...

Teachers across the country are seeing more and more students struggle with reading this school year. Pandemic school closures and remote instruction made learning to read much harder, especially for young, low-income students who didn’t have adequate technology at home...

The bottom line is: Spanish is just one of the many languages spoken by members of the Latino community. These assumptions have real repercussions, particularly given the limitations about what we know about the diversity of the Latino immigrant community...

We all know the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a change to every aspect of lift. We’ve seen how work and school looked drastically different than usual — and so did health care, transportation, nutrition and more. In many cases, inequities...

The impact of dual enrollment at the state’s community colleges is growing. Last week, Public Policy Institute of California researchers participated in an online discussion hosted by the College Futures Foundation about ways to promote an equitable expansion of dual...

A new state law creating bachelor’s degree programs at community colleges will reduce barriers and racial equity gaps, a UCLA professor and representatives from the San Diego Community College District said. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 927 into law...

This year is crucial for students as many risk falling further behind if they don’t catch up academically. A study conducted by The Policy Analysis For California Education looked at 18 districts in the state and found students kindergarten through...

Underprepared teachers miss out on the guidance that expert mentor teachers provide in traditional student-teaching programs. According to a 2020 report from Policy Analysis for California Education and Learning Policy Institute, mentoring from an experienced special education teacher can reduce...

A growing number of California students are participating in dual enrollment courses—college classes taken while still in high school. But making dual enrollment courses equitable and accessible to even more students hinges on a variety of factors. Experts say these...

The Hoover Education Success Initiative (HESI) presented a six-part webinar series this fall that explored how public education can improve moving forward given the ongoing disruption of in-person instruction caused by COVID-19-inspired restrictions, as well as foundations of the system...

As California’s wildfires attest, climate change is here, and its effects are being felt now. What President Joe Biden calls a “code red” moment should cause deep reflection on how all of us can prepare for a hotter world.  California...

Much of the discourse around learning loss has gotten stuck on what to call it. Learning lag, interrupted learning and unfinished learning are favored among academics, because knowledge did not vanish from the minds of young people. Kids just didn’t...

The COVID crisis led to a windfall of taxpayer dollars for our local schools. It was much-needed money but all that isn’t being spent. And, if it doesn’t get used, millions, even billions, could go away. NBC Bay Area’s Raj...

The COVID-19 pandemic crippled learning for many students, leaving some kids years behind their classmates. In June, the non-profit Policy Analysis for California Education released a report showing students at 19 school districts were about two and a half months...

The abrupt switch to remote instruction caused by the pandemic has created potentially irreparable setbacks for the students who can least afford the disruption—low-income students of color, English learners, students with disabilities and others who have been historically underserved. The...

Using data to help guide decisions about increasing student engagement, providing extended learning opportunities, and finding effective ways to communicate with parents and students can help boost attendance rates as students adjust to full-time, in-person learning. The timely analysis of...

The Biden-Harris administration from the start proposed sweeping higher education policies that many advocates praised as long overdue and much needed to tackle equity issues that the pandemic brought to the fore. Months later, Congress this week, has been debating...

Vaccine mandates have yet to be implemented statewide in California, delegating the decision to individual school districts and counties. Currently, West Costa Contra and Berkeley counties are seeking to establish a vaccine mandate. With neighboring counties considering adopting similar measures...

The metaphor “summer slide” has been used for decades to describe the essential skills that children lose over the summer when they’re out of school. Though this term was popular before 2020, unfortunately it is now the least of many...

As parents fearful of coronavirus’s spread and frustrated with their schools’ forays into remote learning seek other options, they are increasingly turning to virtual for-profit charter schools. Numerous studies show that parents of color were more likely to keep their...