event Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories Nov 16, 2023 California’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program provides an early year of schooling within the K–12 system. Launched a decade ago with limited eligibility, TK will soon be open to all four-year-olds. Taking stock of the program’s impact so far—especially among multilingual and special education students—can help TK expansion succeed. PPIC researchers Julien Lafortune and Laura Hill will discuss a new report that examines TK’s impact through grade five.
press release Special Survey On Population: Let’s Talk About Sex: Californians Say Education, Access To Birth Control, Curb Social Ills Jan 5, 2006
press release Special Survey On Education: Californians Rip State Of K-12 Education, But Won’t Put Their Money Where Their Angst Is Apr 27, 2006
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Population By Mark Baldassare Dec 31, 2005 Some findings of the current survey: The vast majority of Californians (78%) – including Latinos (74%) and evangelical Christians (66%) – prefer sex education programs that also teach children about obtaining and using contraceptives. A strong majority of Californians (68%) believe that their local school districts should require such programs in both middle and high schools. Although statistics indicate that teen pregnancy rates have declined across the state, 72 percent of California residents say they have increased (38%) or stayed the same (34%). Seven in 10 Californians (71%) support Roe v. Wade – including majorities of all major racial and ethnic groups – while 22 percent want to overturn it. This is the 62nd PPIC Statewide Survey and the third in a three-year series of special surveys focusing on education, environment, and population issues facing the state. This special survey series is funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Report School Finance By Margaret Weston Nov 14, 2012 There is broad consensus that California's school finance system is inequitable, inadequate, and overly complex. In response to these critiques, this year Governor Jerry Brown proposed an overhaul of our school finance system. Also, two initiatives on the November ballot asked voters to increase education funding through tax increases: voters approved Proposition 30, which was integral to the governor's budget plan, and rejected Proposition 38, a citizens' initiative. Despite the passage of Proposition 30, California faces many school finance challenges. This report provides an overview of the state's school finance system and outlines some longstanding school finance issues that may be in play next year.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Setting the Stage for Universal Preschool By Laura Hill, Emmanuel Prunty, Vicki Hsieh May 9, 2022 Ensuring equitable access to Transitional Kindergarten is key as California expands the program to include all four-year-olds.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Targeted K–12 Funding and Student Outcomes By Julien Lafortune, Stephanie Barton Oct 6, 2021 Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), more money now reaches high-need districts, and these districts spend most of that money on schools with greater need. Students are seeing some benefits from the LCFF, as seen in higher test scores, though disparities by student income, race, and language status remain large.
blog post Governor Newsom Proposes New Investments in Math and Science Teachers By Julien Lafortune, Radhika Mehlotra Jan 16, 2020 In the state budget proposal he released last week, the governor calls for new spending to address the teacher shortage in high-need subjects.
