The Bridge Project, a study of K-16 issues, presents three papers on college transition. The first finds a widespread lack of knowledge about college requirements and readiness among California students and parents. The second analyzes how students receive vague signals about academic college readiness. The third provides an example of how to improve K-16 transition and send clearer academic standards signals. Policy implications include low or no-cost recommendations to address these issues.

This report examines the effects of center care and home-based care on cognitive and social development of young children in poor communities, as well as the impact of caregiver sensitivity and education level. The study used a sample of children whose mothers entered welfare-to-work programs and found positive cognitive effects for children in center care, and stronger cognitive and social development for those with more sensitive and educated caregivers. However, children in family child care homes showed more behavioral problems.

California's accountability system, PSAA, has been examined by three independent studies, revealing five key issues. The system established specific performance targets, rewards, and sanctions for schools, but budget constraints and differences with NCLB require changes. The STAR testing and school assessment system needs review, and Governor Schwarzenegger proposed simplifying the school finance system. The brief aims to inform policymakers, clarify complex accountability issues, highlight educators' views, and outline four major implications.

The Educator Responses to Accountability Project (ERAP) explores the impact of public school accountability on California teachers' and administrators' classroom practices and professionalism. State and federal policymakers support accountability, but there has been little research on local educators' experiences with such reforms. PACE conducted in-depth interviews with educators in eight elementary schools across California to understand their knowledge, understanding, and efforts to address student achievement inequities within the context of accountability.

The early care and education (ECE) profession faces staffing problems due to understaffed centers, high turnover rates, and an educationally bifurcated workforce. To mitigate this issue, programs like the California Childcare Retention Incentive (CRI) provide monetary stipends to ECE professionals who meet tenure and education requirements. This policy brief summarizes findings from a two-year evaluation of CRI programs in Alameda and San Francisco counties, focusing on themes relevant to Year 2 implementation.

California's aging teacher workforce will lead to a significant demand for teachers, with shortages particularly in special education and secondary education. The number of underprepared teachers in low-performing schools serving minority, poor, and ELL students is disproportionate. Budget cuts have reduced funding for recruitment and professional development programs, and California's induction system needs refinement. Curriculum-based professional development programs have mainly targeted elementary school teachers, neglecting the training needs of secondary teachers.

California schools with more demographic subgroups are less likely to meet their growth targets and face federal sanctions, even when students have similar average test scores. Schools with many low-income Latino students are particularly unlikely to hit growth targets. Is it fair to label diverse schools as failing when their overall achievement level is not necessarily lower?

Modern statecraft in education is giving way to unmodern policy and institutional reform, favoring small and communal schools, alternative networks, and cultural pluralism. Charter schools and preschooling illuminate this shift toward de-centering education, while posing the long-term challenge of balancing particular forms of schooling against the modern impulse to integrate groups via large institutions.

This paper assesses the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders on San Francisco County’s CARES program, a childcare retention–incentive program. Year 2 saw over a threefold increase in the number of stipends awarded, but recipients felt the program couldn't address ECE staff retention/turnover alone. Solutions need to be implemented within a larger system of support, raising public awareness, expanding professional development opportunities, and exerting pressure on policymakers for sustained funding to augment ECE staff salaries.

This paper discusses the second year of Alameda County’s Child Development Corps program as a childcare retention-incentive program. The program's goals were to encourage staff training, professional development, and establish a strong network of ECE professionals. Stipend recipients were pleased with the program but recognized that it could not function alone in addressing staff retention, and a larger system of support and advocacy was necessary.

This article discusses the inequitable education provided to English language learners in California, arguing that there are seven areas where these students receive an inferior education compared to English speakers. That includes having less qualified teachers, inferior curriculum, and being assessed with invalid instruments. The article provides suggestions for addressing these issues.

This report highlights findings from a 2002-03 progress report on First 5 California's childcare retention incentive programs, aimed at improving retention and increasing training among early care and education staff. Data were collected from ten counties through a phone survey of participants and site visits. Initial findings related to program design and implementation, program participation, training and professional development, and retention are summarized.

This report evaluates California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, which aimed to hold schools accountable for student results. The brief summarizes the main findings and implications of the legislatively mandated, independent evaluation of the Act, with the aim of helping states understand and learn from preceding accountability efforts.

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.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates all states to demonstrate “adequate yearly progress” towards state proficiency goals. This report explores how to measure sustained improvement in California public schools, and how demographic and school-level variables relate to student achievement. Annual Academic Performance Index scores alone do not indicate sustained improvement, so it is recommended to consider student progress over a longer time frame and all known variables that impact it.

Charter schools were intended to close the achievement gap and create tight-knit communities that motivate students and teachers. The assumption is that charter schools can avoid the disparities that public schools face. Recent data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) allows for comparison between charter and public schools. The survey data illuminates similarities and differences between the two types of schools.

The First 5 California Children and Families Commission has funded the Childcare Retention Incentive (CRI) to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) staff training and retention. An evaluation funded by First 5 California assesses the efficacy of CRI programs in San Francisco and Alameda counties. This report summarizes the preliminary findings from the first year of the Alameda Child Development Corps and San Francisco CARES programs, which examine whether CRI recipients are more likely to participate in training and be retained compared to non-participating ECE staff.

This policy brief examines the effectiveness of childcare retention incentive (CRI) programs in selected California counties. It assesses program design, participant characteristics, training activities, and retention rates among early care and education staff. The study aims to identify the impact of CRI programs on the stability and training of the ECE workforce, which is critical for improving the quality of care for children.

First 5 California approved an initiative to train early care and education (ECE) staff in regions with a scarcity of childcare supply. Six training projects were selected, which provide community college training and additional training on a shorter-term or one-time basis. The goal is to increase the number of individuals entering and remaining in the ECE workforce and to increase the number of ECE staff working with infants and children with disabilities and other special needs.

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.

This report argues that the state of California needs to prioritize better education for all children with a sustained long-term investment of resources and leadership. Despite political upheaval and fiscal problems, there is a consensus for better education. The authors suggest that the issue requires a response as intense and sustained as the state's response to natural disasters, and calls for a system of teacher development to ensure all teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet academic standards.

This paper discusses extending access to preschool for families in California, focusing on targeting priorities to yield strong enrollment demand and discernible effects on young children's early development and school readiness. It analyzes different targeting mechanisms and suggests experimenting with alternative expansion strategies, rather than investing exclusively in one method. The report also describes which communities would benefit most and considers the criteria for judging the wisdom of targeting options.

Arnold Schwarzenegger received lopsided media attention during the first weeks of his campaign, according to a UC study. 87% of the 164 stories reported by the New York Times focused on Schwarzenegger. Less coverage was given to Bustamante, who was out-polling the actor at the time. The study found little coverage of policy issues and that Schwarzenegger’s personal history and character received more attention. Lesser-known candidates, including Peter Camejo and Arianna Huffington, received proportionally less coverage.

Public spending on childcare has increased, but low-income families still face barriers to accessing subsidies. This working paper examines the choices made by 1,974 parents in California who moved from welfare to work and needed childcare. The study found that parents relied on a mix of formal and informal childcare options, and that the expansion of one form of care did not necessarily influence parents' choices.

This policy brief discusses state initiatives in the US aimed at retaining and improving the quality of preschool and childcare staff, with a focus on California's $21 million annual investment. While K-12 reforms have been underway longer and are usually better-funded, early childhood education policymakers and educators will find valuable information about experimental efforts and lessons on systemwide reform.