Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Lunna Lopes Jan 31, 2018 Key findings from the current survey: In California’s gubernatorial race, Democrats Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa are in a virtual tie—but a quarter of likely voters are undecided. In the US Senate race, Dianne Feinstein leads fellow Democrat Kevin de León by double digits.
Report Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards: Early Evidence from California By Niu Gao, Lunna Lopes, Grace Lee, Sara Adan Mar 6, 2018 The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to transform science teaching and learning in K–12 schools in 2013. The new standards emphasize “three-dimensional learning”: disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices.
blog post Private Schooling Played a Small Role in Declining Public School Enrollment By Emmanuel Prunty, Julien Lafortune Sep 11, 2023 Private schooling in California increased substantially during the pandemic. Still, it accounts for a small share of total K–12 enrollment and is not a major factor in public school declines, which are driven largely by broader demographic shifts.
blog post Video: The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education By Mary Severance Aug 19, 2022 PPIC researcher Maria Fay presents findings on how the pandemic has affected California schools’ progress in implementing science education standards, and an expert panel discusses how the state can support equitable investments in science literacy moving forward.
blog post Money Measures and the November Ballot By Patrick Murphy, Jennifer Paluch, Radhika Mehlotra Dec 12, 2018 Ballots across California in the November election featured 397 money-related questions, including taxes, bonds, and fees. Most of these measures passed (79%), though success rates varied across types of taxation or borrowing.
blog post Lessons in Innovation from Lindsay Unified School District By Mary Severance, Niu Gao Jul 6, 2022 Lindsay Unified, a rural district in the Central Valley, has seen dramatic improvements in students outcomes. Superintendent Tom Rooney talks about the ongoing transformation.
Report California’s Changing K-12 Accountability Program By Paul Warren Jan 17, 2013 California recently joined a number of other states in adopting the Common Core State Standards, which establish new criteria for what students should learn in school. It also joined a consortium of states to develop new tests based on those standards. The new standards are ambitious, and some teachers are concerned they are not prepared to convey the higher-level skills and concepts they contain. The new tests will allow the state to measure gains in each student’s achievement, creating new options for how the state ranks schools. The change will also prompt the state to reassess the value of state tests in high school and its options for holding secondary schools accountable. More changes to the state’s accountability program are likely when Congress reauthorizes the federal education law, and the way the state addresses these current issues will influence the shape of its future accountability program.
blog post Remote Learning for English Learners and Special Needs Students during COVID-19 By Niu Gao, Laura Hill Apr 10, 2020 As districts across California roll out distance learning plans, educators must develop alternate methods to effectively serve English Learners and students with special needs.
Report Geography of Child Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Feb 22, 2017 One-quarter of young children across the state live in poverty. In inland regions, reducing child poverty requires efforts to improve job opportunities. In many coastal regions, increasing access to affordable housing will help.
