blog post Video: How Californians View National Issues By Linda Strean Oct 2, 2017 With the nation focused on a range of contentious issues, the September PPIC Statewide Survey provides a California perspective.
blog post Debate over How Special Education Is Funded By Laura Hill, Patrick Murphy, Paul Warren Apr 18, 2017 A series of meetings demonstrated the difficulty of improving special education in this large and diverse state.
blog post Video: Upgrading Technology in California Schools By Linda Strean Jun 8, 2016 When it comes to upgrading technology in California schools, money and training are big challenges. But leadership and collaboration are powerful tools that can help schools make progress.
Report Planning for California’s Growing Senior Population By Hans Johnson, Laurel Beck Aug 6, 2015 California’s senior population is entering a period of rapid growth. By 2030, as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age, the over-65 population will grow by four million people. It will also become much more racially and ethnically diverse, with the fastest growth among Latinos and Asians. Many more seniors are likely to be single and/or childless—suggesting an increased number of people living alone. All of these changes will have a significant impact on senior support services. We project that by 2030 slightly more than one million seniors will require some assistance with self-care, and that the demand for nursing home care will begin to increase after decades of decline. These changes will have direct budget implications for the Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) programs, both of which pay for care and services for low-income seniors. The state will need additional resources, including nursing care facilities and health care professionals, especially those who provide home- and community-based services. California’s community college system will be critical in training workers to meet the state’s health care workforce needs for the growing and changing senior population.
Report CalWORKs in Transition By Caroline Danielson Mar 20, 2012 In recent years, California policymakers have made a number of cuts to major safety net programs to help balance the state budget—even as hard economic times have meant that increasing numbers of Californians are relying on government assistance. The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program (CalWORKs) has been one of the most affected.1 Since 2009, CalWORKs has seen a number of cuts, some intended to be short-lived, and others that, arguably, are reshaping the program piece by piece. In his January 2012 budget proposal, Governor Brown advocated significant additional cuts. These recent and proposed changes raise questions about the program’s goals going forward.
press release Federal Formula Grants and California: Education Programs for Disabled Children Sep 17, 2003
Report Federal Formula Grants: Education Programs for Disabled Children By Tim Ransdell Sep 1, 2003 This report first examines the structure of the three grants used to allocate the bulk of federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to states and school districts. It then reviews recent program funding history and, finally, it discusses the operation of funding formulas and applies various funding-change scenarios to illustrate alternative state allocations.
Report Expensive Children in Poor Families: The Intersection of Childhood Disabilities and Welfare By Marcia K. Meyers, Henry E. Brady, Eva Y. Seto Oct 1, 2000 Although disabilities affect children of all income groups, poor children are far more likely to suffer from them. In this study, Marcia K. Meyers, Henry E. Brady, and Eva Y. Seto provide important new estimates of the private costs and public effects of childhood disabilities among welfare recipients. Based on over 2,000 interviews with household heads in Los Angeles, Alameda, San Joaquin, and San Bernardino Counties, their estimates cover direct expenditures by families and indirect costs due to employment reductions. They also examine participation rates in public assistance programs and estimate the likelihood that families with disabled children will exit these programs to independence. They conclude that public assistance may be an essential part of an income-packaging strategy for many of these families.
Policy Brief Disabled Children in Low-Income Families: Private Costs and Public Consequences Oct 1, 2000
