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Declining student enrollment is leading to a loss of revenue in many California school districts. To address ongoing budget shortfalls, many districts have consolidated or shuttered schools,and others are contemplating doing so. A new report and working paper, summarized in this brief, explore the racial dimensions of school closures and how to address them.
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Enrollment in California public schools has been declining and is projected to fall even more steeply during the next decade. Because funding for school districts is largely based on average daily attendance rates, a decline in enrollment results in a loss of funding. To address budget shortfalls and align services with student counts, many districts have consolidated or closed schools, or they are contemplating doing so.
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This study investigates racial disparities in school closures both within California and nationally. Findings highlight an alarming pattern: Schools enrolling higher proportions of Black students are at significantly increased risk of closure relative to those enrolling fewer Black students, a pattern that is more pronounced in California than elsewhere in the United States. The findings underscore that school closures in California and elsewhere reflect racial inequalities that require adequate policymaking to ensure equitable and fair school-closure proceedings.
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Newcomers represent a large and understudied subgroup of students in California. The Oakland Unified School District has been disaggregating data on newcomer status for the last 7 years, providing a basis for analyzing graduation outcomes for newcomer compared to non-newcomer students. The data highlight the variance in outcomes based on program placement and design. Drawing from analysis of Oakland Unified’s data and practices, the authors make programmatic recommendations for districts with newcomer students.
Promising Practices
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This case study identifies promising practices for newcomer education implemented in San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD), one of 12 local educational agencies (LEAs) funded under the California Newcomer Education and Well-Being (CalNEW) project between 2018 and 2021. This report was developed through a partnership between PACE and the Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) at Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
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California prioritizes post-COVID-19 education equity through investments in community schools. Districts must lead by strengthening system-level support, infrastructure, and sustainable resources. They should foster shared governance, robust data systems, and organizational learning. Supporting coordinators, improving data access, recognizing successful practices, and scaling innovations are crucial. A cohesive, districtwide approach ensures the success of community school transformation.
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Every year, 150k-200k new immigrant students in California need specialized instruction and social services to succeed, but many districts struggle to provide them, resulting in dropouts and poor outcomes. Inaccessible instruction and lack of basic necessities hinder progress. The PACE report recommends developing data, instruction, and social support services to improve newcomer outcomes in California.
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This study explores the impact of county-level immigration arrests on the academic achievement, attendance, and perceptions of school climate and safety for Latinx and Latinx English learner students in California's CORE districts. The research found that there is a negative relationship between immigration arrests and these students' academic performance and school experiences. The study recommends policies and practices that can help schools and districts create safer, more welcoming environments for immigrant-origin students and families in the face of anti-immigrant actions.
The 2022 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
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The 2021-22 academic year in California was challenging for public education due to eight issues that threaten student learning, schools, and public education itself, including gun violence, declining enrollment, and long-term funding inadequacy. These issues also have a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities and highlight long-standing systemic inequities. In July 2022, PACE and USC Rossier School of Education conducted a poll of California voters to determine their views and priorities on public education.

Critical Actions for Recovery and the Role of Research in the Years Ahead
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IES issued a report on the future of education research at the National Centers for Education Research and Special Education Research. The report identifies issues, details new methods and research investments needed in the future. PACE produced a paper to synthesize existing evidence in the field and frame recommendations. Public input and outside experts were also consulted.

Views from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
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Growing inequities and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic together with billions of dollars in new funding present an opportunity to make substantial changes to K–12 education to better serve all students in California. In May 2021, PACE and USC Rossier School of Education fielded our annual poll of California voters, which sought to gain clarity about voters’ priorities on public education issues during this period in which Californians are beginning to look towards a postpandemic future. The following are 10 key findings from the poll.
The Path Towards Reimagining and Rebuilding Schools
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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all students; however, its impact has been particularly devastating for students of color, students from low-income families, English learners, and other marginalized children and youth. As transmission rates decline and vaccination rates increase in California, many are eager to return to normalcy, but we must all recognize that even the prepandemic normal was not working for all students. The 2021–22 school year, therefore, constitutes a critical opportunity for schools to offer students, families, and educators a restorative restart.

Restarting School with Equity at the Center
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This brief was developed by California-based family and student engagement organizations, associations representing educators and system leaders, research institutes, and civil rights and equity groups. The recommendations arise from the evidence that has collectively emerged from focus groups with educators, parents, and students; polls and surveys of stakeholders; a deep review of the literature; and original research conducted on COVID-19’s impact on schools and students.

Identifying the Structural and Instructional Changes in K–12
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This report fills a knowledge gap by reviewing the impact of school closures in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research indicates that younger students, low-income students, and English learners experienced disproportionate learning loss due to closures. Little is known about the specific changes made to operations early in the pandemic and their long-term effects on student learning and well-being. This report provides the first systematic review of California school practices after closures in spring 2020.
In-Person Learning for the Whole Child
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Learning hubs are being implemented in California and across the US to provide in-person education supports to distance learning students. This brief explores a prevalent learning hub model, including considerations for policymakers, schools, and expanded learning partners. Guidance for hub design and operations is provided, along with policy levers that support the model. The brief is part of a series on how expanded learning programs and staff can support students during pandemic recovery.
A Foundation for Rebuilding to Support the Whole Child
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The partnership between schools and expanded learning programs is crucial to build equitable support systems for children and their families. California's school reopening guidance encourages coordination between these entities to meet the students' needs during the pandemic. This brief provides key principles for building successful partnerships informed by insights from California leaders and practitioners. It is part of a series on how expanded learning programs can support students during pandemic recovery.
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This brief addresses the challenges that have arisen in California's transitional kindergarten through third grade distance learning during the pandemic. It offers promising practices and policy changes that can benefit students, parents, and teachers involved in distance learning.
Pivoting Amid COVID-19
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This brief outlines Ayer Elementary's journey of continuous improvement since 2016 and how their organizational conditions were tested during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite the challenges, the school invested in improvement practices to strengthen student engagement in distance learning and build staff capacity for when students return to school.
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How can schools provide high-quality distance and blended learning during the pandemic? This brief includes a mix of rigorous evidence from extant studies, data from interviews with practitioners who described their learnings from informal experimentation during the spring of 2020, and expert researchers who thought about how to apply research to the current context.
A COVID-19 Recovery Strategy
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The brief argues that community school strategies can help address the social and learning impacts of COVID-19, by reforming underlying classroom, school, and district behaviors and systems that prevent student-centered collaboration, partnership, and teaching. The focus should be on student-centered learning, integrated teacher and student supports, collaborative leadership and practice, and the centrality of family and student relationships. The brief encourages all schools to adopt a community school approach, which can serve as a sustainable and successful investment.

What California’s Leaders Must Do Next to Advance Student Learning During COVID-19
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Governor Newsom announced that rising COVID-19 infections would require remote learning for K-12 schools in California counties. However, without quality remote education at scale, up to 1.1 million students could fail to graduate high school, affecting low-income, Black, and Latinx students the most. California's leaders must prioritize equity, strengthen teaching and learning requirements, and ensure adequate monitoring, support, and resources with deep attention to equity to avoid further differences in opportunity and achievement among districts and students.
Research to Guide Distance and Blended Instruction
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This article provides 10 recommendations based on the PACE report to help educators and district leaders provide high-quality instruction through distance and blended learning models in the 2020-21 school year. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, research can guide decisions about student learning and engagement. These recommendations can be used as a framework to prioritize quality instruction.

A Rural District’s Response to COVID-19
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COVID-19 has disrupted California’s education system in fundamental ways. Districts across the state are quickly creating strategies to serve all students, and many are designing their response around the needs of their most vulnerable students. This brief highlights the response of Mother Lode Union School District (MLUSD) to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which district staff and teachers were able to collaborate—despite the unprecedented crisis—to meet student needs.
A Summary of the PACE Policy Research Panel
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Over 725,000 California K-12 students received special education services in 2018-19, but the system is not always equipped to serve them. Early screening, identification, and intervention, as well as better transitions, educator support, and mental/physical health services, need improvement. A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework in schools could address SWDs' needs, but it requires additional resources and policy support to improve educator capacity and collaboration between agencies while systematizing data on SWDs.
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This brief outlines the necessary steps to integrate care systems and improve outcomes for California's children. It suggests forming a statewide interagency leadership council and recommends policy reforms to promote collaboration, integration, and service delivery. The goal is to create a "Whole System" approach that integrates child-serving agencies and organizations. A full commitment from the state administration is needed to achieve these solutions at scale.