Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner, David Kordus Apr 19, 2017 A solid majority of Californians favor tax-funded vouchers that would allow parents to send their children to any school they choose. At the same time, most rate the quality of their local public schools positively and view state funding for public schools as inadequate. Many are concerned about the impact of increased federal immigration enforcement efforts on undocumented public school students and their families. Crosstabs: All Adults [PDF] Likely Voters [PDF] Time Trends: All Adults [PDF] Likely Voters [PDF] This research was supported with funding from the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Silver Giving Foundation, and the Stuart Foundation.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ... Jun 28, 2023 States received billions in one-time stimulus funds to help recover from pandemic disruptions to education. California allocated much of its money to districts based on their shares of low-income students, which largely targeted schools with lower achievement levels rather than greater learning loss.
Report School Finance and California’s Master Plan for Education By Julian Betts, Jon Sonstelie, Anne Danenberg, Peter Richardson ... Jun 1, 2001 Responding to a request from the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education – Kindergarten through University, the Public Policy Institute of California commissioned a series of reports on adequacy-based school finance, alternative approaches to school governance, and local revenue options for school districts. These reports were delivered to the Joint Committee and its staff between August 2000 and April 2001. School Finance and California’s Master Plan for Education brings together those essays and makes them available to more general audiences. Taken together, they suggest that a new system of school finance and governance could help provide adequate resources to California’s schools. They also consider the link between those resources and improved student achievement.
Fact Sheet Financing California’s Public Schools By Julien Lafortune Nov 29, 2023 K–12 funding has been at record-high levels in recent years, and California’s per student spending is now slightly above the national average. Spending is higher for low-income students, English Learners, and foster youth. However, enrollment declines, rising costs, and the expiration of pandemic funding pose fiscal challenges for school districts.
Report Resolving Special Education Disputes in California By Stephen Lipscomb Feb 24, 2009 This paper examines the formal process for dispute resolution between the parents of special education students—who make up about 10 percent of all California public school students—and the school districts that educate them. Requests for resolution are concentrated in fewer than a third of the state’s school districts; the rate tends to be higher in larger, densely populated districts, and in districts in higher-income areas. Overall, the state has one of the highest request rates in the country, but most disputes are settled before a formal hearing.
Report From Blueprint to Reality: San Diego’s Education Reforms By Julian Betts, Andrew C. Zau, Kevin King Oct 5, 2005 During the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 school years, the San Diego Unified School District introduced a focused set of reforms to improve San Diego students’ reading and literacy skills called the Blueprint for Student Success. The changes the district implemented included new teaching materials, double- and even triple-length English classes where necessary, additional teacher training, and more classroom time for reading practice and instruction. This report presents the first student-level evaluation of that effort and shows that the Blueprint reforms in large part accomplished what they set out to do: reading scores at elementary and middle-school level improved among students who participated in Blueprint activities, and achievement gaps among different racial and ethnic, language, and socioeconomic groups narrowed.
At Issue, Report Parcel Taxes for Education in California By Eric McGhee, Margaret Weston Sep 16, 2013 The state legislature is considering a lower passage threshold for the parcel tax, which is one of only a few local revenue-raising options for California school districts. A lower threshold would increase the passage rate, but would it encourage a greater number of districts to put parcel taxes on the ballot? This report contextualizes the proposal and assesses its potential impact on school funding. This research was supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Apr 27, 2011 Some findings of the current survey: Most Californians are very concerned that the state’s budget deficit will mean significant cuts to K–12 education. Six in ten adults and likely voters favor Governor Brown’s plan of spending cuts and temporary tax increases to close the deficit and avoid cuts to schools. More than half of public school parents say they have noticed reduced numbers of support staff or fewer programs at their child’s school. Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [PDF]California State Legislature [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [XLS]California State Legislature [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Fact Sheet California’s High School Graduation Requirements By Niu Gao, Lunna Lopes, Grace Lee Nov 27, 2017
Report Strengthening Local K–12 Accountability: The Role of County Offices of Education By Paul Warren Aug 10, 2016 Strengthening the role of county offices could help bolster the state’s school improvement and support system. By clarifying county office authority to oversee district accountability plans and work with underperforming districts, the state can give the new accountability process its best chance of improving student outcomes in California. This research was supported with funding from the Stuart Foundation.
