K–12 enrollment is on the decline between a combination of dropping birth rates and more school choice options, putting schools in a tight bind. The public school system is expected to see a drop of millions of students over the...

With California struggling to lower student absences since the pandemic, state educational leaders have pledged to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% over the next five years. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, along with officials from across the...

As California wrestles with a statewide literacy crisis, a bill poised to hit Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk could fundamentally change the way students learn to read in California. The bill, AB 1454, would move the state one step closer to...

A school superintendent’s job has always been one of the most difficult in education because it requires not only pedagogical, but political, skills to navigate the multiple interests in a district. Now, political skills may be even more important in...

Funding cuts. Raids near campuses. Exclusion from programs like Head Start and career training. For months, the Trump administration has been chipping away at the rights of students without legal status in public schools. Could the administration take away those...

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), an independent education research center supported by five California universities, has hired Lupita Cortez Alcalá as its new executive director. Lupita Cortez Alcaláhas been a prominent leader and administrator in education from early education...

Alcalá offers extensive expertise, a steadfast dedication to educational equity and a strong track record of connecting education research, policy and practice. Julie Marsh, USC Rossier professor of education policy, USC Sol Price and faculty director of Policy Analysis for...

Lupita Cortez Alcalá has been appointed as the new executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), an independent, non-partisan research center led by faculty directors at the University of California Los Angeles, the University of California Davis, Stanford...

As California intensifies its fight with the Trump Administration, the race for the state’s top schools job is becoming ever more crowded. Today, former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon formally entered the race to succeed Tony Thurmond as State Superintendent of...

AB 84 proposes broad changes to how charter schools operate and are overseen in the state. It would place stricter audit requirements on charter schools, particularly nonclassroom-based schools, and calls for creating a new Office of the Education Inspector General...

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vital role school systems play in daily life, from learning and socialization to nutrition programs, transportation, and mental health. In the absence of in-person instruction, countless new stressors impacted families, teachers, and administrators who were...

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Career Education offers a critical and timely opportunity to reshape education and workforce preparation to be more efficient, effective and accessible, especially for students. As the Legislature considers the proposal, there is plenty here...

Since 2009, nearly every U.S. state has adopted specific standards and teaching frameworks for literacy and math. Yet, despite these efforts, the implementation of these standards in classrooms has often fallen short. As I reflect on my six decades in...

California’s system of financial oversight of school districts has mostly worked, having kept all but nine of them from seeking a state bailout loan to avert insolvency. The key to keeping school districts from financial disaster has been close oversight...

Some of the biggest names in education research—who often oppose each other in scholarly and policy debates — are now united in their desire to fight the cuts to data and scientific studies at the U.S. Department of Education. The...

The school year is nearing to a close, but many parents are already looking forward to next year’s enrollment. California has a lot of options for schools, from public, to charter, to private. You can choose to stay in your...

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget provides $2.4 billion in ongoing Proposition 98 funding to permanently expand Transitional Kindergarten, or TK, which has been gaining steam in Capital area communities like Roseville. California students who turn four on or before September...

In recent weeks, Education Week Opinion has received scores of submissions from individuals in the K-12 field reacting to the current state of education in the United States and, in particular, the actions of the Trump administration. As the federal...

Two prominent education policy organizations filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and the Department of Education, challenging what they describe as the unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The Association for Education Finance...

On Thursday, hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students, many from the university's School of Education, gathered at the steps of Sproul Hall in what they say is the first of many protests against President Donald Trump's March 20 executive...

California’s teacher workforce needs stronger stewardship. Our state has established high standards for English, math, science and history that lay out what students must know and be able to do. But, as I have argued before, California has failed to...