Report Factors and Future Projections for K–12 Declining Enrollment By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty Dec 11, 2023 Over the past five years, enrollment has fallen in nearly three-quarters of California school districts, and the trend is expected to continue into the next decade. Faster declines could bring pressure to close schools, along with concerns about the students and neighborhoods bearing the costs of downsizing.
Report Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia Oct 30, 2023 In 2019, a landmark reform removed barriers for community college students in accessing transfer-level math and English courses. While more students are now completing these key early milestones for transfer, additional efforts are needed to address persistent racial equity gaps and promote students’ longer-term success.
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.
Report Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill Oct 23, 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.
Fact Sheet Public Health Insurance in California By Shalini Mustala, Paulette Cha Oct 11, 2023 More than half of Californians are covered by public health insurance—mainly Medi-Cal, which covers low-income residents, and Medicare, which covers most adults aged 65 and older. The state is preparing to expand Medi-Cal to all low-income Californians, regardless of age or immigration status.
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.
Report Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment By Olga Rodriguez, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Iwunze Ugo, Niu Gao Aug 21, 2023 At one time, mainly high-achieving high school students took college courses through dual enrollment; but access has widened under the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) program. While CCAP students are benefiting from the program—they enroll in community college at high rates and reach key milestones—CCAP has room to improve.
event Funding Education in California Aug 9, 2023 Ten years ago, California implemented a new funding plan for public K–12 education. The goal of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was to improve student outcomes and increase equity by providing more resources to districts with larger populations of low-income students, English language learners, and foster youth. How has this funding approach served our students? Following a brief presentation by PPIC research fellow Julien Lafortune, PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye will moderate a conversation with a panel of experts, including Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction; Josh Hoover, assemblymember; and Ben Chida, chief deputy cabinet secretary, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
blog post Video: Bridging California’s Digital Divide By Vicki Hsieh Jul 27, 2023 How can unprecedented public investments in broadband be leveraged to close the digital divide? PPIC convened a series of three expert panels to explore how California can ensure equity in internet access as well as in the use of digital connectivity.
Report District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ... Jun 28, 2023 To address COVID-19 disruptions to education, federal and state programs directed billions in stimulus aid to K–12 schools. These programs allocated greater funding to lower-income and high-need districts—and California districts applied their early funds to health, safety, and technology. More recently, spending has prioritized learning recovery.
