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.
Before billions of dollars in expanded learning funding was approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom via Assembly Bill 86, researchers, practitioners and policy influencers met to discuss the status of expanded learning in California and how it is meeting student needs...
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...
A long-awaited deal to encourage California’s schools to reopen may provide families hope, but it’s unlikely to swiftly improve Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political standing. It has been almost a year since California schools shut their doors indefinitely to combat the...
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...
A study of San Francisco students found that students of color and low-income students have suffered the most as the school district has stuck to virtual learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. School district data from fall 2020 showed that low-income...
It is an all too common story across the Bay Area as school closures stretch on, with most large districts stuck in 100% online classes heading into a second year. Once thriving children, with good grades, extracurricular interests and dreams...
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...
PACE shares their brief “Expanded Learning Partnerships: A Foundation for Rebuilding to Support the Whole Child” which shares how expanded learning programs and staff can provide in-person education support to students. This brief provides key principles for school and expanded...
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...
The school year has been challenging for students and educators alike as they adjust to remote programs. As a result, Palm Springs Unified School district reports failing grades are up 10 to 15 percent in their middle and high schools...
Americans believe that schools are essential institutions. That’s why public schools absorb half of local government spending, and why the nation spends $14,000 per year on each child in K–12 public schools. Yet, even as the educational establishment insists its...
Ten months into the pandemic, San Francisco’s schools remain closed, and there is no firm timetable for when students can return. The debate around reopening schools has been a controversial issue for parents, children and educators for months, but has...
A new study revealed that young and low-income students in California have been hit the hardest by pandemic-related school closures, showing a significant drop in test scores that has researchers worried the gap may be hard to overcome. The study...
A study on the extent of pandemic-induced learning loss in 18 California districts reveals younger, lower-income students and English learners were the hardest hit by school closures last spring. The research from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) shows significant...
The impact of the pandemic on California students' learning, gauged from 18 school districts in the CORE Data Collaborative, highlights significant learning loss in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, primarily affecting younger grades. The equity gap is pronounced, notably among low-income students and English language learners (ELLs), experiencing more substantial setbacks than their counterparts. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students faced slower growth, while others accelerated their learning, intensifying existing achievement disparities. Upper-grade ELLs encountered severe setbacks due to challenges in virtual language development. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted support to redress these disparities, emphasizing the gravity of unequal experiences during the pandemic. Yet, data limitations call for deeper investigations into absent student groups to refine learning loss estimates. Addressing this crisis necessitates a student-centric approach, prioritizing social-emotional well-being and systemic educational reforms to accommodate diverse student needs.
Over the past 10 months, K-12 school districts in California have faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help reduce the spread of the virus in spring 2020, districts largely transitioned to distance-learning, with some or all of...
California’s long-awaited roadmap to reshape early childhood care and education in the state took a critical first step on Tuesday with the release of a first-ever 10-year master plan, but some advocates say more specifics are needed to ensure progress.