Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Apr 29, 2009 Some findings of the current survey: A solid majority of residents say the K–12 system needs major changes. High dropout rates and low student achievement top the list of concerns. Most Californians are very concerned that the state’s budget gap will cause significant cuts in education, the area they most want to protect from such cuts. Support for the high school exit exam is higher among those with just a high school diploma than among those who have attended or graduated from college. Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State Legislature Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State Legislature This survey is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
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.
Report Increasing the Usefulness of California’s Education Data By Paul Warren, Heather Hough Aug 13, 2013 California has made major progress in building a comprehensive educational data system, but most educators and policymakers lack access to the data that have been collected. This report outlines a series of small, cost-effective steps toward linking and sharing data that can help teachers and administrators improve student outcomes.
event Statewide Survey: Californians and Education Apr 29, 2021 PPIC’s annual statewide survey on Californians and education examines views on school reopenings and student learning during the pandemic, as well as overall perceptions of school quality and diversity. It also tracks opinions on public school funding, private schools, preschool, and career education.
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.
blog post Improving Special Education in California By Paul Warren, Laura Hill Sep 25, 2018 More accountability could improve inequities in special education funding in California.
blog post Three Bills Signal State of Education Policy By Iwunze Ugo Nov 21, 2016 A review of the fates of three bills, the state budget, and recent administrative actions helps illustrate the current state of education policy in California.
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.
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.
