blog post School Meals May Help Families Fight Food Inflation By Caroline Danielson, Niu Gao Jun 1, 2022 The rising cost of food and other necessities is an especially large challenge for low-income families. For households with schoolchildren, school meals can help address the impact of higher prices and increase access to nutritious food.
Report Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune May 18, 2022 Funding for California’s K–12 public schools has reached record highs, but gaps in student outcomes remain. Understanding the benefits of additional funds, and how to distribute those funds, are key concerns for policymakers. This report offers insights from a robust body of research on the extent to which higher spending improves outcomes.
blog post Extended Freeze on Student Loan Payments Could Help Many California Borrowers By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson Apr 19, 2022 The federal government’s moratorium on student loan payments during the COVID-19 crisis, along with plans to eliminate defaults and delinquencies, may leave many California borrowers better off than they were before the pandemic, when many struggled to make progress on their loans.
blog post Video: COVID in California—What Have We Learned about Education? By Mary Severance Apr 8, 2022 Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, talks with PPIC’s Lande Ajose about how schools adapted to the pandemic and ways to create a more equitable education system moving forward.
blog post The Pandemic’s Effects on Higher Education By Hans Johnson, Kevin Cook, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jacob Jackson Mar 15, 2022 COVID-19 has created wide-ranging disruptions for college students and the institutions they attend. Looking ahead, a focus on student-centered policies and programs that improve access, completion, and equity will be critical.
blog post Geography of Community College Transfers in California By Cesar Alesi Perez, Hans Johnson, Vicki Hsieh Mar 4, 2022 Transfers from community colleges to the University of California and California State University have increased in recent years, though transfer rates vary across community college districts and campuses and across racial/ethnic groups.
blog post What’s Next for Higher Education? By Hans Johnson, Kevin Cook, Lande Ajose Jan 13, 2022 Another uncertain year is likely, even as students and the institutions they attend seek to return to some semblance of normalcy. What are key issues to watch in 2022 in improving access, completion, and equity in California’s higher education systems?
blog post 2021 Year in Review By Mark Baldassare Dec 16, 2021 The past year has been another deeply challenging one for California and the nation. As 2021 draws to a close, president and CEO Mark Baldassare reflects on the role PPIC has played in providing essential information—and fostering constructive dialogue—on the critical policy issues facing our state.
blog post Video: Community College Math in California’s New Era of Student Access By Stephanie Barton Dec 14, 2021 PPIC researcher Cesar Alesi Perez presents a new study on landmark reforms to assessment and placement at California community colleges, and an expert panel discusses strategies for promoting student success and increasing equity.
Report Community College Math in California’s New Era of Student Access By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez Dec 7, 2021 In fall 2019, California’s community colleges began implementing AB 705, making reforms to place thousands of students away from remedial courses and directly into the introductory courses necessary to transfer to a four-year college. In this report, we focus on math courses and the progress that colleges and students have made under the new system as of fall 2020.