Recent research from Policy Analysis for California Education suggests there may be reason to be concerned about kids’ learning progress right now. A January study of 18 school districts indicates younger kids especially are falling behind in math and English...
Los Angeles teachers have been through the grinder for more than a year. Many of them went far beyond the minimum to try to help students learn during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for much of that time, those with kids...
Across urban and rural areas alike, public schools with more students in poverty were far more likely to serve households that lacked a basic broadband connection at home in the months before school went online, according to an unprecedented CalMatters...
A recent report from Policy Analysis for California Education found that school closures in spring 2020 caused especially severe slowdowns in reading and math achievement for young students, and growing achievement gaps for low-income students and English learners. Students lost...
On March 19, 2020 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a statewide shelter-in-place order. In response to an unprecedented public health threat, it was an equally unprecedented shuttering of day-to-day life. “This is not a permanent state,” Newsom assured us at the...
After a year of remote learning, some of California's students are being allowed back in the classroom. But experts worry that a bungled reopening of schools could worsen education inequality, which has already been exacerbated by the pandemic.
It is too soon to know the full extent of learning loss among ELs nationally, but the organization Policy Analysis for California Education has found that learning loss has been more dramatic for ELs than their peers. There is going...
Students who are learning English as a second language have priority to return to in-person class at some school districts in California, but many are still staying home because their parents fear the risk of Covid-19 infection is too high.
The transition to distance learning and learning loss has impacted all students. But, the experience of Black and Latino students has been dramatically different and in many cases, much worse. Many factors lead to learning loss. Some of the critical...
The pandemic has introduced a great deal of hardship into many students’ lives, which may make it difficult for them to learn. Disruptions to students’ mental and emotional health, social systems of support, and learning environments require a new focus...
As momentum builds to reopen schools, education experts say they're concerned about students who have fallen behind during the pandemic. They are worried that achievement gaps are widening—especially for English language learners.
While many teachers still endure remote instruction and the Zoom fatigue that comes with it, more and more are returning to schools. Over half the nation’s districts have reopened and children are returning to classrooms, including urban centers like Chicago...
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have unveiled another plan to prod public schools across California to reopen. It provides $2 billion to districts that resume in-person instruction by March 31, another $4.6 billion to address learning loss, and punishes...
The president of a Los Angeles teachers' union said Monday that the state's plan to return to in-person learning is "propagating structural racism." Her comments come after California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday reached a deal with state Democratic lawmakers...
As the momentum builds to reopen schools in California, early evidence suggests that English-learning students have fallen behind more than their peers. Education experts say school leaders should act now to reverse a widening achievement gap between students with financial...
When leading assessment providers released data in November on pandemic-related learning loss, the news wasn’t as dreadful as some had predicted. But new attempts to dig deeper into the results from two states now show that many students, particularly those...
When we began classes in Santa Ana Unified School District in the fall, we knew that in addition to varying degrees of learning loss, students would be returning to class having experienced isolation and a high potential for emotional trauma. We...
When leading assessment providers released data in November on pandemic-related learning loss, the news wasn’t as dreadful as some had predicted. But new attempts to dig deeper into the results from two states now show that many students, particularly those...
Across California, students in elementary and middle school are experiencing significant learning loss, according to a report released in late January. English learners and students from low-income families have seen greater losses, according to Policy Analysis for California Education, a...
There is near unanimous, bipartisan agreement that tutoring is among the most promising, evidence-based strategies to help students struggling with learning loss. Decades of rigorous evaluations have consistently found that tutoring programs yield large, positive effects on math and reading...
This news agency surveyed every public school district in some of the Bay Area’s largest counties—Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin—and found that 100% of school districts with 2019 median household incomes of at least $200,000 offer...
Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration has been in talks with lawmakers on his stalled school reopening plan, said Wednesday that a deal may be reached as soon as Friday. Newsom said his administration is working with lawmakers on a $6.6...
The commentary is a guidebook for districts, schools, and expanded learning providers in better serving California's 60,000 foster care youth amid the pandemic. For these vulnerable youth, COVID-19 worsened existing trauma, isolation, and educational disruptions due to frequent home and school changes. Collaboration among public systems and community partners is crucial to create caring systems acknowledging individual strengths and needs. To bolster pandemic recovery, the approach should prioritize tailored programs by consulting foster youth about their needs, amplifying community expertise, employing staff knowledgeable about schools, and ensuring accessible health services and multilingual resources. Creativity, flexibility, and continuous learning are vital in addressing the immediate and long-term needs of foster care youth, emphasizing constant evaluation through their perspectives for effective support.
This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. The central question of...
A Jan. 25 brief from Policy Analysis for California Education finds that there has been significant learning loss in both English language arts and mathematics, with students in earlier grades most affected. Additionally, low-income students and English learners are among...