Newsroom | Policy Analysis for California Education

Reflecting on a Year of Research, Partnership, and Policy Impact

Commentary

October 27, 2026

In a reflection on her first year as PACE's Executive Director, Lupita Cortez Alcalá highlights the organization’s role in connecting rigorous research with California education policy. PACE's work helped inform two major legislative changes: AB 181, restructuring state education governance, and AB 2555, establishing more consistent and equitable English learner reclassification practices. Through its partnership with Stanford’s SCALE Initiative on Getting Down to Facts III, PACE also helped disseminate 55 technical reports and 22 policy briefs examining critical challenges facing California schools. Alongside research on literacy, mathematics, special education, and other priorities, PACE expanded opportunities for dialogue among researchers, policymakers, educators, and communities. Looking ahead to major leadership transitions and further governance reforms in 2027, Alcalá emphasizes PACE’s commitment to independent, nonpartisan research and collaborative, evidence-informed policymaking for improving opportunities and outcomes for California students.

Getting Down to Facts About California's Education System, 2026

May 10, 2026 | Ed100

On May 7, 2026, the SCALE initiative at Stanford announced the release of Getting Down to Facts III, a trove of new research about California's education systems. It wasn't a surprise — this is the third time that Stanford has...

How Trump’s Drastic K–12 Plans Will—and Won’t—Change California Schools

February 14, 2025 | CalMatters

From private school vouchers to threats over “woke” curriculum, the Trump administration has launched a slew of reforms intended to reshape K–12 schools. But it’s still too soon to determine how—or if—those efforts will play out in California...

Advocates Seek More Resources for Newcomer Students From Education Department

September 8, 2022 | K–12 Dive

A group of educators, researchers and advocacy organizations is asking the U.S. Department of Education to develop resources and supports for students new to the U.S. who are English learners known as newcomer students, according to a letter sent to...

English Learners and the New State Tests

April 26, 2016 | Public Policy Institute of California

California’s K–12 students struggled on the new statewide Smarter Balanced assessments (SBAC) last year. The results highlight the challenges facing students and teachers as the state shifts to computer-based tests on new curricula with higher standards for achievement. Disadvantaged groups...

Looking Beyond the Label to Better Help English Learners

February 24, 2016 | National Center for Education Statistics

The education of English learners (EL) continues to be a topic of great interest across the country. But there has been little research to identify what steps to take in order to best serve this diverse group of students. In...

5 Takeaways on Educating California’s English Learners

January 7, 2016 | Education Week

What can states and districts do to improve opportunities and outcomes for English Learners (ELs)? The question is asked and answered often; just this past fall, the U.S. Department of Education released a sprawling toolkit to help states and districts...

California Needs English Learner Make-Over

October 22, 2015 | The Californian

California's 1.4 million English Learner children are often pigeon-holed and trapped for years in a school system that also impedes their academic progress and blocks their path to college. That’s the conclusion of a report released this week and published...

Bilingual Ed Restrictions Hurt California, Says University of Oregon's Ilana Umansky

January 22, 2015 | University of Oregon

A 1998 voter referendum that strictly limited bilingual education in California's public schools has weakened educational efforts and held back non-English-speaking children, according to a report led by the UO's Ilana Umansky. The report's nine co-authors are calling on California...