Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Can Help Districts Plot Their Financial Course

Commentary authors
Clive R. Belfield
A. Brooks Bowden
Robert S. Shand
Published
Summary

The coming much-needed influx of federal and state money to California public schools is an unforeseen and unprecedented windfall that will certainly help mitigate the many extra expenses the pandemic has created. It would be easy, and perhaps understandable, for local officials to become cavalier about how they use the extra funds they receive. The catch is that it is a one-time infusion of funds, not a permanent increase for California’s perennially underfunded K–12 system. How can local school districts best use this one-time bump in funding?

Teachers, Live Screen Time Is Precious. Use It Well
September 2, 2020 | Education Week

Wanted for the new school year: high-quality remote-learning experiences to engage and benefit all students. In the current pandemic reality, educators can improve learning, we believe, by finding better ways to use and structure students' work time. That's true whether...

Key Questions for Reopening Schools Under COVID-19
July 10, 2020 | Politifact

As thousands of school districts figure out how and to what degree they will reopen this fall, President Donald Trump railed against the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration has tightly linked reopening schools to...

To Keep Students Safe and Learning, California Needs Strong State Leadership

Commentary authors
Heather J. Hough
Jennifer O'Day
Arun Ramanathan
Carrie Hahnel
Published
Summary

In preparing for the next school year, California state policymakers must set clear statewide expectations for teaching, learning, and student support, regardless of whether instruction is online or in person. This spring, local school districts scrambled to adapt to COVID-19 with a wide range of responses largely focused on securing delivery of online resources. Now is the time to shift the conversation back to the core purpose of school: learning. The state should establish a minimum amount of instructional time; create an instrument of diagnostic assessment and require its use; adopt instructional continuity plans; and advocate for and secure additional funding.

COVID-19’s Impact on English Learner Students

Possible Policy Responses
Commentary author
Ilana Umansky
Published
Summary

As an immensely diverse group of students, English learners (ELs) will have widely varying experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus a broad range of educational, physical, and mental health-related needs. This commentary offers recommendations for how policy can support ELs whether education is online, in person, or both.

Our Children’s Education Should be a Priority as California Recovers from Coronavirus

Commentary author
Heather J. Hough
Published
Summary

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed California and the nation into uncharted waters, especially with the impact on our schools. With the economy in decline and unemployment on the rise, school funding is likely to dip, triggering cuts across the system. This financial impact will come when our schools need more money, not less, to serve our state’s children. As we look toward recovery, Californians should make the kind of significant investments in our public schools that reflect their true importance to our students, families and future.

Evidence to Inform Recovery

PACE’s Response to COVID-19
Commentary authors
Heather J. Hough
Christopher Edley, Jr.
Michal Kurlaender
Julie A. Marsh
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar
Deborah Stipek
Published
Summary

The closing of California’s physical learning spaces has significant implications for educational equity and access. In the coming weeks and months, PACE’s efforts will be focused on supporting real-time crisis response and helping the state build toward recovery. This commentary, the first in a new series designed to raise up evidence quickly to inform crisis response and recovery, details our approach.

Getting Evidence Into the Right Hands
January 29, 2019 | Stanford Radio: School's In

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...