Report Achieving Digital Equity for California’s Students By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Oct 25, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of digital connectivity for learning—while highlighting serious inequities in access to broadband and computing devices. Learn about the progress California made last year and the steps the state can take to achieve the goal of affordable broadband and devices for all California students.
Report Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao Sep 6, 2023 Under California’s ten-year-old funding formula, districts with higher shares of high-need students receive additional dollars on top of base funding. Districts have flexibility around spending these funds, but when money is not fully directed to the intended students and schools, the impact on achievement gaps is diluted.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Mary Severance Oct 23, 2023 Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program provides an early year of schooling within California’s K–12 system. Now that the program is being expanded to all four-year-olds, it is important to take stock of its impact so far—especially among multilingual students and students with disabilities, who might benefit from additional support early on.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lunna Lopes Nov 1, 2017 Key findings from the current survey: Most Californians (56%) say affordability is a big problem in the state’s public colleges and universities. Only 18 percent say overall quality is a big problem.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao, Stephanie Barton Sep 6, 2023 The Local Control Funding Formula gives California districts additional funds for low-income and other high-need students as well as flexibility around how to spend this money. But this flexibility has raised concerns over whether districts are spending in ways that reach the high-need students and schools who generate the added funds.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Apr 25, 2012 Some findings of the current survey: California’s likely voters favor raising income taxes on the wealthy to increase funding for public schools, but they oppose raising the state sales tax. Just over half of likely voters—54%—would vote yes on Governor Brown’s proposed tax initiative and a strong majority oppose automatic cuts to K–12 education if the initiative is rejected. An overwhelming majority prefer local control over state funds for schools. 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 Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and The Silver Giving Foundation.
Report Coordinating California’s Higher Education System By Paul Warren Mar 6, 2019 Establishing an independent council to provide leadership, expertise, and coordination across sectors of higher education would help California better meet student and workforce needs. This brief report outlines key considerations for building a successful council.
Report California’s New School Funding Flexibility By Margaret Weston May 11, 2011 To ease the pain of deep budget cuts to K–12 education in 2009, school districts were allowed to use some restricted funds for general education. The new rules, which expire in 2015, helped, but created other problems. This paper offers specific recommendations for an overhaul of the restricted funding system, balancing the needs of certain groups of students against the fiscal flexibility that school districts now enjoy. This research was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Report Higher Education in California: Meeting California’s Workforce Needs By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Oct 1, 2019 Strong and growing demand for highly educated workers has been a hallmark of the state’s economy for decades, and forecasts show this demand continuing into the future. But the importance of increasing the number of college graduates goes beyond workforce needs.
Report Special Education Finance in California: A Decade After Reform By Stephen Lipscomb Aug 12, 2009 Special education accounted for more than 16 percent—$9.3 billion—of K–12 spending in 2006–07. An extensive reform of special education financing in California about a decade ago sought to improve the way the state funds education for the disabled, who make up about 10 percent of public school students. Did reform achieve its goals? In large part, yes—but more can be done. The author suggests that to realize reform’s equity goals, policymakers could equalize base funding rates and make adjustments for local conditions such as numbers of low-income students and regional labor market wage levels. This report was funded with support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
