Calling the issue of underpaid teachers a “crisis” with “disastrous consequences,” Sen. Kamala Harris, the California Democrat who is running for president, says she wants to increase the average teacher’s salary in the United States by $13,500.

Use interactive map to see pension costs by school district.

California school districts have seen their per student pension costs double to an average of $1,020 since the Legislature passed a 2012 law to rescue the state’s two pension systems. A year later, districts were ordered to make higher payments...

California school expenses for employee pensions on average doubled to about $1,000 per student over the past four years according to newly released state data. Those increases will continue to rise for two more years. The Legislature mandated the increases...

The most damaging myth in American higher education is that college admissions is about merit, and that merit is about striving for – and earning – academic excellence. This myth is often used as a weapon against policies like affirmative...

Getting Down to Facts II combines 36 studies that explore a broad swath of K–12 policy topics central to school equity. Among some of the report’s findings: Large accountability gaps persist; students are behind before they even enter kindergarten; data...

As pension costs continue to soar, they are taking up a bigger share of the new funding that districts receive each year. Meeting their pension obligations and other rising costs limits the ability of districts to fund other academic and student support programs or increase pay...

In a highly anticipated but narrow decision on pensions for teachers and other state and local public employees, the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the elimination of a retirement benefit in the 2012 pension reform law that then-Gov. Jerry...

Host Joseph Pace and guests discuss the policy and funding issues underlying Oakland and California’s public school crisis.  What solutions exist to get our schools back in session and back on track?

A new analysis by the Palo Alto-based nonprofit Learning Policy Institute calls for doubling down on efforts to deepen and strengthen “one of the country’s most ambitious equity-focused education reforms.” LPI’s report cites multiple publications from PACE and Getting Down...

PACE research is cited in article about the growing community schools movement. This movement advocates for transforming schools so they become neighborhood hubs that bring together families, educators, government agencies and community groups and organizations to provide all the opportunities...

When it comes to implementing policies that will shape education, research is a critical starting point, says Heather Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), a nonpartisan center led by faculty members at five universities in California...

In his freshman budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom heartened beleaguered school districts and community colleges by offering pension-cost relief. School leaders are expressing gratitude for the help — not as much for the amount, which is modest compared with the overall...

Brown University professors ors Susanna Loeb, Kenneth Wong, Matthew Kraft and John Papay were named in the 2019 Rick Hess Straight Up Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. The list ranks the top 200 U.S. university scholars who most influenced “educational practice...

School's In with Dan Schwartz and Denise Pope:
"Improving Education from the Inside with guest Heather Hough"

Policy Analysis for California Education executive director Heather Hough talks about the value of arming local officials with the best information to make...

As Oakland Unified faces a possible teachers’ strike and braces for deep budget cuts for the 2019-20 school year, its leaders are asking themselves: “Which expenditures would give us the greatest academic returns on our investments?” Their answer: Increasing teacher...

Gavin Newsom is officially California’s 40th governor. During his electoral campaign and inaugural speech, he made several promises to provide services and representation to different communities across the state. Advocates for early childhood development, housing policy and the LGBTQ community...

EdSource asked several education leaders to comment on what they think Gov. Jerry Brown’s most important contributions to education reforms in California have been, what major education issues remain unaddressed and what they are hoping for from incoming Governor Gavin...

Welcome, readers, to the new year. It’s time for our favorite armchair exercise: predictions for the year in education. There’s a wild card this year: Gavin Newsom. Gov. Jerry Brown, while sometimes mystical, proved to be true to his word...

California’s 40-year-old Proposition 13 dramatically changed how the state funds education. Between 1970 and 1997, per pupil spending in California fell more than 15 percent relative to spending in other states.

Early childhood education. A top-tier national ranking for K-12 per-pupil spending. A data system that would track kids from nursery school through state universities. California’s Legislature won’t reconvene until 2019, but the Christmas wish list for public schools  is already...

The California legislature will debate three Assembly bills in the upcoming session that would open up preschool options for thousands of California families.

Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom is promising universal preschool for the next generation, and with Democrats winning a supermajority in the state Legislature, education in California is likely to see some big changes. Newsom's plan includes preschool for all children, which estimated...

One Stanford University study says that California needs to spend billions more on the state’s PreK-12 public school system. Another Stanford study says that too-generous public pensions are robbing core government programs of needed funds. Will the two disparate ideas...

Tony Thurmond has named a veteran California education administrator as his chief deputy superintendent in his first act as state superintendent-elect of public instruction.