blog post Video: Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Stephanie Barton Sep 22, 2023 All school districts in California saw large funding increases over the past decade, through the Local Control Funding Formula. PPIC researcher Julien Lafortune explores how districts managed these funds—and how they affected student outcomes.
blog post Did Pandemic Aid Narrow the Digital Divide? By Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Sep 18, 2023 As part of a multifaceted package of pandemic assistance, the federal government in 2021 allocated nearly $7 billion to help schools and libraries expand access to digital devices and internet connectivity. We examine what this has meant for digital equity among California students.
blog post Video: Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment By Stephanie Barton Sep 15, 2023 PPIC researchers Daniel Payares-Montoya and Iwunze Ugo discuss a new report that examines how dual enrollment—by which high school students take college classes and earn college credit—can improve educational outcomes and engagement for a wide range of students.
blog post Young Californians May Be Choosing Work over School By Julien Lafortune, Sarah Bohn Sep 14, 2023 How have young adults across the state reacted to the COVID-induced economic downturn? Our analysis finds that, in stark contrast to the Great Recession, the share of young Californians opting for work over school has increased.
blog post Private Schooling Played a Small Role in Declining Public School Enrollment By Emmanuel Prunty, Julien Lafortune Sep 11, 2023 Private schooling in California increased substantially during the pandemic. Still, it accounts for a small share of total K–12 enrollment and is not a major factor in public school declines, which are driven largely by broader demographic shifts.
blog post Video: Funding Education in California By Stephanie Barton Aug 17, 2023 Ten years ago, California implemented the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in an effort to improve student outcomes and increase equity. PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye and a panel of experts—Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary Ben Chida, Assemblymember Josh Hoover, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond—discuss what LCFF has meant for K–12 education and talk about key issues moving forward.
blog post Video: Bridging California’s Digital Divide By Vicki Hsieh Jul 27, 2023 How can unprecedented public investments in broadband be leveraged to close the digital divide? PPIC convened a series of three expert panels to explore how California can ensure equity in internet access as well as in the use of digital connectivity.
blog post Keeping Students Fed When School Is Out By Caroline Danielson Jun 8, 2023 The end of the academic year can increase food insecurity for California families that rely on free meals provided at school. Plans to permanently add a second mode of assistance—debit cards that can be used for groceries—aim to help families feed their children when school is out.
blog post Public School Enrollment across California’s Regions, Past and Future By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty May 10, 2023 While California public school enrollment has fallen for the sixth straight year, the trend varies across regions. Coastal areas have seen some of the largest drops in enrollment and are likely to experience continued declines.
blog post Public School Enrollment Declines Vary across Grade Levels By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty May 4, 2023 California’s public school enrollment decreased slightly in 2022–23 and has now fallen for six years in a row. While the latest enrollment levels in grades 2 through 12 were close to projections, enrollment in earlier grades fell short.
