There is real momentum for change, triggered by a report issued in December by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE).

California’s families are losing faith in public education — not because they do not believe in public schools, but because too often they feel unheard, shut out and forced to navigate a system that is fragmented, confusing and disconnected from...

Reclassification of students designated as English learners (ELs) is a critical process governed by state policies that mandate using multiple criteria to ensure fairness and accuracy. However, while these policies aim to create equitable pathways for reclassification, discrepancies in local...

The fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to shift control of the California Department of Education from the state superintendent of public instruction to a new education commissioner answering to future governors and the State Board of Education will become...

The first sign was the empty desks that slowly started to appear. Then there were fewer kindergartners in San Francisco. Shrinking graduating classes in San Jose. An Oakland elementary school that lost so many students it was forced to close...

California ranks 33rd in the nation in the well-being of its children and 34th in education, according to an annual report on children’s welfare released Monday. It marked the 15th straight year that California ranked in the bottom third of...

School closures—commonly touted as a financially responsible strategy to right-size cash-strapped districts—often do not improve districts’ financial standing, according to a new study out of California.  Even worse: Any money actually saved from closing a school building is largely offset...

A new report from Penn GSE researchers explores one of the most pressing tensions in education policy today: how to ensure rigorous preparation for teachers while expanding access to the profession. 

Using the latest data from the California Department of Education, a fact sheet recently released by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) examines trends in chronic absenteeism statewide through the 2024–25 school year.  According to researchers, while rates of chronic...

Nearly five years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 20% of students are still chronically absent, meaning they miss 10% or nearly a month of school. Data from 31 states for the 2024-25 school year show that...

In recent years, particularly since the pandemic, countless news articles have bemoaned a crisis in math learning. Whether defined by introductory courses at Harvard University, math placement in the University of California or community college remedial courses, a consistent refrain...

The dominant narrative about American schools is one of decline: Math and reading achievement at historic lows, the nation caught in a long-term “learning recession.” But that’s a narrative based on standardized test scores. Assessing the effectiveness of American schools...

With the Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program, which aims to address persistent inequities in higher education and workforce participation through the development of regional intersegmental partnerships statewide, reaching its end, a new report from Policy Analysis for California Education...

It’s not often you see over 900 diverse organizations across California all agree on something. But when a problem affecting our kids’ education has existed for over a century with little progress towards fixing it, it brings people together to...

University of Wisconsin‑Madison Assistant Professor Christopher Saldaña speaks with Susanna Loeb about the the recent release of Getting Down to Facts 3, a Stanford SCALE Initiative project that brings together more than 100 researchers to give California policymakers, educators...

With one contentious exception, school districts can check off most items on their wish list for 2026-27 with the release on Thursday of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget.  Newsom is proposing to target unexpected billions of dollars from surging...

For Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) Professor Susanna Loeb, the work of bringing an incoming governor up to speed on the state’s education system begins with a listening tour.  “There are a billion different things you could look at...

State leaders’ recent attention to early literacy has led to funding and new programs to help close the literacy achievement gap.  But math? The state hasn’t focused on it. And that neglect shows. State and national scores reflect many of...

Stanford University on Thursday released a sweeping research project that takes a 360-degree, immersive look at all aspects and operations of public education in California, from preschool through high school, from special education to teacher certification, enrollment decline to high...

California K-12 schools have come a long way over the past 20 years, but according to an exhaustive overview of the state’s school system, further progress may require tinkering with a long-entrenched form of school governance: local control.  That’s among...

A local educational agency’s structures and processes are key components in effectively uplifting and scaling instructional changes in schools, according to Policy Analysis for California Education’s (PACE) practice brief “How Districts Scale Instructional Improvement That Lasts.”  “District leaders play a...

More than 30 percent of California’s approximately 30,000 school-aged youth in foster care regularly experience some of the highest rates of chronic absence and exclusionary discipline.  A new brief from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) details how changes in...

A bill moving through the state legislature would require independent evaluations of any new education initiative that costs at least $500 million a year or $1 billion in one-time spending.  The proposed requirement is part of a larger bill that...