Schools face the dual responsibility of educating children and providing health services to over a million students in California with special health care needs (SHCN). These students are at higher risk of academic struggles and absenteeism. However, schools often lack awareness of these students’ conditions, neglecting their unique health needs. The absence of specific regulations leaves decisions about health services and staffing to individual districts. Alarmingly, 57% of districts in 2013 had no school nurses, while those with nurses had ratios far exceeding recommended levels. In the absence of nurses, unlicensed staff handle critical health procedures. The lack of state guidance and dedicated funding exacerbates these challenges. To address this, California should mandate systematic identification and care for students with SHCN, track health emergencies, monitor attendance and educational outcomes, and ensure standardized training for all staff delivering health services. These steps could safeguard the health and academic success of all students, aligning with the proven link between health and academic performance.

School health programs play a critical role in student well-being and academic success, yet many California districts have reduced funding for health staff, counselors, and physical education. A study examining four Silicon Valley school districts found that district-level wellness coordinators—newly created positions under a regional health initiative—improved the coordination and impact of school wellness programs.Using the Coordinated School Health (CSH) model, researchers conducted over 100 interviews and focus groups in eight schools to assess the role of wellness coordinators in integrating health initiatives. Findings suggest that wellness coordinators raise awareness among teachers and staff, exposing them to health messaging and equipping them with resources to support student wellness. They also embed health education into school culture, ensuring wellness programs are incorporated across curricula, grade levels, and schools for consistent and equitable delivery. Additionally, wellness coordinators help districts maximize limited resources, streamlining efforts, preventing duplication, and fostering community partnerships to expand services.The study highlights the value of district wellness coordinators in advancing CSH goals and suggests that school districts with limited resources may benefit from investing in this role to enhance student health and learning outcomes.

Addressing the academic achievement gap among minority and low socioeconomic status students, especially in majority-minority states like California and Texas, has gained attention regarding language variety as a potential factor. A study reviewed by Educational Policy presents recommendations for state policymakers based on a Texas Legislature-commissioned study. This study urges recognizing students who speak language varieties other than standard English as Standard English Learners (SELs), highlighting their unique educational needs. The expert panel offers five key recommendations: enhancing educators’ understanding of language diversity, teaching strategies for students to acquire standard English, integrating language variety into curricula, and fostering a tolerant environment among stakeholders. The study emphasizes the necessity of increasing teacher capacity to identify and support SELs in classrooms, proposing considerations and strategies for states or local education agencies (LEAs) to design effective programs and policies. The report advocates for legislative and administrative actions to equip teachers for specialized instruction to meet the needs of SELs and ensure policy success.

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act, discourse around "failing schools" disproportionately affects minoritized communities, sidelining broader educational visions and eroding arts from public school learning. California's arts programs suffer, with 89% of K–12 schools lacking consistent arts education. This scarcity predominantly affects minoritized youth, amplifying disparities in resource-deprived schools, denying these students the qualitative problem-solving and social growth inherent in arts engagement. Advocating for arts and diversity education reform, a new study urges reconsideration of teachers' attitudes toward arts and challenges limited perspectives on students' experiences. Researchers emphasize the transformative potential of arts as a tool for minoritized school reform, fostering agency and cultural representation for impacted communities. The study dismantles the term "minority," advocating for a reimagining of multicultural education as universally designed to cater to all communities' needs. Researchers further propose leveraging arts as research tools to comprehend classroom dynamics and family roles within school communities, redefining research purposes and literacy values in K–12 education. The study ultimately calls for open engagement and dialogues involving minoritized and majoritized youth to underscore the potential impact of arts in research, curriculum, and pedagogy, challenging binary thinking and inviting exploration toward equitable, hopeful futures for all.

California has the lowest elementary school counselor-per-student ratio in the U.S., with most schools lacking counselors. A recent study found that states adopting aggressive counseling policies experienced positive changes in student learning and behavior. Mandates for a minimum counselor–student ratio or subsidizing counselor employment reduced teacher-reported instructional issues and lowered problems like fights, cutting class, stealing, or drug use. Greater counselor availability correlated with improved student learning and mental health. The findings suggest substantial benefits from additional elementary school counselors, making them potentially cost-effective interventions. Even in tight fiscal times, mandating a minimum level of mental health services in schools could be wise, leading to better student and teacher welfare. Future research could explore the most effective form of mental health services in schools, considering counselors, social workers, or psychologists in school-based health centers.

For nearly three decades, PACE has facilitated discussions on California's education policies by integrating academic research into key policy challenges. Traditionally, this involved publishing policy briefs, organizing seminars, and producing the annual 'Conditions of Education in California' report, offering comprehensive data and analysis on the state's education system. The launch of "Conditions of Education in California" as a blog marks a shift to engage a wider audience and enable ongoing updates. This platform, authored by PACE-affiliated researchers across California, aims to share new data, compelling research findings, and insights on current legislation and policies. The objective remains fostering informed discussions on education policy challenges in California, now extending the conversation to policymakers, educators, and citizens. This inclusive dialogue is crucial to drive the necessary policy understanding and momentum for improving the state's education system.