Getting Down to Facts is an extensive investigation of CA's public education system commissioned by a bipartisan group of CA leaders. The project aimed to describe California's school finance and governance systems, identify obstacles hindering resource utilization, and estimate costs to achieve student outcome goals. The project resulted in 23 reports by scholars, which highlight that the current school finance and governance systems fail to help students achieve state performance goals, particularly those from low-income families. The reports provide a framework for assessing reform options.

Using national data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), this study examines the association between center-based care duration and intensity and pre-reading, math skills, and social behavior of young children. Children who start center care between ages two and three see greater academic gains, while starting earlier than age two may have negative social effects. Center intensity impacts academic gains for poor and middle-income children, but not wealthier children, and negatively impacts social development for Blacks and whites but not Hispanic children.

This report examines the effects of preschool or childcare exposure on cognitive and social development before kindergarten, focusing on intensity and duration of attendance, and how this varies across different income and ethnic groups. The authors utilize data from a nationally representative sample of young children with rich family background information. Findings are important for debates over extending free preschool and which groups of children would most benefit.

This article examines the impact of heterosexist assumptions and homophobia on students' experiences in California's public "Single Gender Academies." Interviews with students reveal a critical link between sexuality, masculinity, and femininity, and the ways in which assumptions about sexuality are embedded in school policies, practices, and peer relations. The article provides an analysis of homophobia among students and the influence of academy assumptions on students' attitudes towards gender and sexuality.

This paper examines the incidence, causes, and consequences of student mobility in the US. Mobility not only harms the students who change schools, but also the classrooms and schools they attend. The causes and consequences of mobility are more complicated than many people assume. The authors suggest ways for parents, schools, districts, and policymakers to address this growing educational problem.

Senior slump is a phenomenon unique to American high schools, where students view senior year as a time for nonacademic pursuits. This report suggests curtailing senior slump to add valuable months to students' education at a critical point in their intellectual development. Policy directives are presented to help American high schools reclaim the senior year.