The most damaging myth in American higher education is that college admissions is about merit, and that merit is about striving for – and earning – academic excellence. This myth is often used as a weapon against policies like affirmative...

Many schools—especially those which a large number of students facing stress and trauma—can benefit from increased mental health resources on campus. The topic of mental health in schools has been more pronounced in recent years as school districts—and donors—are moving...

Getting Down to Facts II combines 36 studies that explore a broad swath of K–12 policy topics central to school equity. Among some of the report’s findings: Large accountability gaps persist; students are behind before they even enter kindergarten; data...

In The 74, writer Kate Stringer reports on how the Long Beach Unified School District and other CORE Districts are tracking students’ growth in both academic and social-emotional skills. Long Beach Unified is part of the CORE-PACE Research Partnership, established in...

Crafting successful education policy requires evidence. Generating this evidence requires data that do not currently exist, or are not used to their full potential, in California. An integrated educational data system would arm teachers, schools, districts, service providers, and policy...

When it comes to implementing policies that will shape education, research is a critical starting point, says Heather Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), a nonpartisan center led by faculty members at five universities in California...

Brown University professors ors Susanna Loeb, Kenneth Wong, Matthew Kraft and John Papay were named in the 2019 Rick Hess Straight Up Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. The list ranks the top 200 U.S. university scholars who most influenced “educational practice...

School's In with Dan Schwartz and Denise Pope:
"Improving Education from the Inside with guest Heather Hough"

Policy Analysis for California Education executive director Heather Hough talks about the value of arming local officials with the best information to make...

In the Bay Area, homelessness is impossible to ignore. Local politicians, philanthropists and business leaders regularly propose programs and pledge millions of dollars in funding to end the crisis. But just down the coast in Monterey County, a homelessness crisis...

Gavin Newsom is officially California’s 40th governor. During his electoral campaign and inaugural speech, he made several promises to provide services and representation to different communities across the state. Advocates for early childhood development, housing policy and the LGBTQ community...

The California Community Colleges Podcast kicks off the new year with a topical discussion on “starting early” – improving the education pipeline by investing thought and resources into early childhood education. In this episode, Samantha Tran, Senior Managing Director of...

EdSource asked several education leaders to comment on what they think Gov. Jerry Brown’s most important contributions to education reforms in California have been, what major education issues remain unaddressed and what they are hoping for from incoming Governor Gavin...

Welcome, readers, to the new year. It’s time for our favorite armchair exercise: predictions for the year in education. There’s a wild card this year: Gavin Newsom. Gov. Jerry Brown, while sometimes mystical, proved to be true to his word...

 School of Education researchers Michal Kurlaender, Sherrie Reed and Paco Martorell, alongside researchers from the UC Davis Department of Economics, recently authored “Where California High School Students Attend College,” a new report published through Policy Analysis for California Education. The...

Early childhood education. A top-tier national ranking for K-12 per-pupil spending. A data system that would track kids from nursery school through state universities. California’s Legislature won’t reconvene until 2019, but the Christmas wish list for public schools  is already...

The California legislature will debate three Assembly bills in the upcoming session that would open up preschool options for thousands of California families.

As U.S. public schools become increasingly diverse racially, culturally and economically, they are turning to social emotional programs to better serve the different ways in which students interact with and invest in schooling and their education. Social emotional learning (SEL)...

Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom is promising universal preschool for the next generation, and with Democrats winning a supermajority in the state Legislature, education in California is likely to see some big changes. Newsom's plan includes preschool for all children, which estimated...

Los estados del país están luchando por cumplir sus metas en torno al progreso de los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés, según encontró un nuevo reporte del Departamento de Educación. Publicidad. El reporte, publicado en septiembre y enviado al Congreso...

One Stanford University study says that California needs to spend billions more on the state’s PreK-12 public school system. Another Stanford study says that too-generous public pensions are robbing core government programs of needed funds. Will the two disparate ideas...

Tony Thurmond has named a veteran California education administrator as his chief deputy superintendent in his first act as state superintendent-elect of public instruction.

The alliance intended the website to serve as a guide for parents and the public that may be unaware of the significant shifts in policy under Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Board of Education that he appointed. To support...

Over the past decade, California’s PreK-12 education system has seen a variety of reforms— new academic standards and assessments, the Local Control Funding Formula, advancements in data systems—yet despite these changes, a new research project reports that California lags behind...

As California prepares to elect a new governor and superintendent of public instruction in November, a study released last month has drawn attention to major challenges the state faces when it comes to education. The study—coordinated by Stanford and conducted...