High school seniors across California are anxiously awaiting word on their public university acceptances. But thousands of other soon-to-be graduates are virtually locked out. A key reason? Nearly half haven’t taken the required classes. Statewide, 54% of high school...
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to shift the operation of the California Department of Education has received a key endorsement from the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The nonpartisan LAO said last week that moving control of the department from the State Superintendent...
Dozens of Bay Area school districts have announced layoffs, budget cuts or school closures this year to repair gaping budget deficits ranging from $6 million to over $100 million. Last month, Oakland Unified School District voted to lay off more...
Thousands of California students remain classified as English learners even after they reach proficiency in English, according to new research. Several studies suggest the state’s reclassification rules may be holding students in language support programs longer than necessary to their...
Teachers have been walking off the job or threatening strikes during tense contract negotiations from San Francisco to the East Bay. Experts say these disputes are part of a larger trend in the Bay Area and tied to rising living...
California allows school board members to get monthly compensation for their service. A new state law updates how much they can get paid for the first time since 1984. Previously, they could earn no more than $60 to $1,500 a...
In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers set out a plan to create the largest universal preschool program in the country for 4-year-olds, through a massive ramp-up of an elementary grade known as transitional kindergarten, or TK. At a...
Bay Area high schoolers are more likely than students from other states to have completed the requirements to get into a California public university, according to a Chronicle analysis of state education data. Students in Marin and San Francisco counties...
In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers set out a plan to create the largest universal preschool program in the country for 4-year-olds, through a massive ramp-up of an elementary grade known as transitional kindergarten, or TK. At a...
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the selection of 34 exemplary scholars as the 2026 class of AERA Fellows. The AERA Fellows Program honors scholars for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. Nominated by their...
A power struggle over public schools is brewing at the State Capitol as Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes to strip the state's Department of Education from the California Superintendent of Public Instruction. The state's Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected...
Two months ago, the idea of stripping the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s job of managing the California Department of Education and handing it to the governor was a recommendation in a university-based research center’s report. This week, it became...
he job of the state superintendent of public instruction may be very different a year from now. Last month, the nonprofit research organization PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education) released a report on school governance that recommended transferring the California...
From where we sit at the University of California, it has long been easy for faculty to lament that too many first-year students arrive academically unprepared by their K-12 schools. The latest version of this complaint took shape in...
During the past decade, California has made historic investments in early childhood that span income supports, health care coverage, early learning, and family well-being. Yet 3 years of research listening to parents show that families with young children continue to face severe, interconnected economic hardships, with rising costs for housing, child care, health care, and basic needs outpacing available supports. The authors recommend three strategies to support families: simplify governance and shared accountability across the 0–5 ECE system; expand investments for children ages 0–3, where unmet need and system strain are greatest; and leverage existing investments by investing in the workforce, aligning existing funding streams, and addressing facility and infrastructure constraints for greater impact. Together, these actions can help translate California’s commitments into a more coherent and equitable early childhood ecosystem that better supports families and young children.
Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped a brief and vaguely worded section into his State of the State address earlier this month, suggesting an overhaul of how California’s vast public education system is managed. “It’s long overdue that we modernize the management...
The Los Angeles school district is falling short of meeting school board-approved academic goals set four years ago, but students continue to improve faster on key Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, professor of education and chair of the Department of Education at the...
Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed record levels of public funding for K-12 schools, but in several Southern California school districts declining enrollment and rising costs may still lead to cuts next school year. The budget proposal allocates $125.5 billion, the...
State legislation from 2021 allowed the degree program to become permanent. Assembly Bill 927 authorizes California community colleges to develop and confer bachelor’s degrees in addition to associate degrees. These programs have several requirements: the bachelor’s degree must respond to...
The Los Angeles school district is falling short of meeting school board-approved academic goals set four years ago, but students continue to improve faster on key academic measurements than the state as a whole, based on data released this week...
Governor Gavin Newsom has made education funding one of his priorities during his final year in office. He also made an unexpected proposal during last week’s State of the State address — to bring oversight of the state Department of...
As part of his budget proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced a new educational plan that sounds reasonable, as it streamlines regulatory authority and places more oversight in the governor’s office. Per Newsom’s statement, “California’s K-12 education system as...
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday previewed a major education system overhaul that would give the next governor more authority over state school policies and redefine — and almost certainly diminish — the role of the elected state superintendent of public...
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he was blindsided by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal Thursday to curtail the superintendent’s duties and he disagrees with it, although it’s unclear what he can do to stop it. “Tony Thurmond is...
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he was blindsided by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal Thursday to curtail the superintendent’s duties and he disagrees with it, although it’s unclear what he can do to stop it. “Tony Thurmond is...
