blog post Test Scores Show Six-Year Setback for California Students By Darriya Starr, Emmanuel Prunty, Joseph Herrera, Iwunze Ugo Dec 14, 2022 Recently released standardized test scores show sharp declines in proficiency among the state’s fourth graders—reversing nearly six years of progress. The declines were sharpest among Black, Latino, and low-income students but do not appear to be tied to length of school closures during COVID.
blog post Video: A Conversation with US HHS Secretary Becerra and California HHS Secretary Ghaly By Stephanie Barton Dec 9, 2022 PPIC’s Mark Baldassare talks with Xavier Becerra and Dr. Mark Ghaly about the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and how the US and California are applying this knowledge to improve public health readiness and response.
blog post Video: English as a Second Language at California’s Community Colleges By Mary Severance Dec 7, 2022 In fall 2021, California community colleges began putting in place major reforms to English as a Second Language pathways. PPIC’s Daniel Payares-Montoya, Olga Rodriguez, and Laura Hill discuss new research on early implementation efforts, including the impact of the pandemic.
blog post Investing in Schools to Address COVID-19’s Toll on Youth Mental Health By Shalini Mustala, Paulette Cha Dec 5, 2022 The pandemic had a devastating effect on the mental health of children and adolescents. Recent state investments to support schools’ efforts in early detection and intervention promise to play a critical role in countering this crisis.
event A Conversation with US HHS Secretary Becerra and California HHS Secretary Ghaly Dec 1, 2022 Almost three years into the COVID-19 crisis, Californians are still grappling with its effects on everything from health to education to the economy. Join Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s president and CEO, along with Xavier Becerra, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a wide-ranging conversation about what we learned from the pandemic and what we are doing to ensure greater resilience in the future.
blog post New State and Federal Measures Aim to Manage Extreme Heat Risks By Gokce Sencan Nov 30, 2022 As climate change progresses, extreme heat events will become more frequent, more severe, and longer in duration. Several new state and federal programs aim to protect individuals and communities from the effects of extreme heat.
blog post Video: Surplus and Shortage—California’s Water Balancing Act By Sarah Bardeen Nov 28, 2022 After three years of virtual events, our annual fall conference returned to an in-person format in Sacramento on Friday, November 18. The upshot? Good people, good food, and three vital panel discussions about managing water in California’s changing climate. Read our recap!
Report English as a Second Language at California’s Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez, Laura Hill, Daniel Payares-Montoya Nov 28, 2022 Colleges began implementing reforms aimed at improving English as a Second Language pathways in fall 2021—during a historic pandemic. We cannot yet disentangle the impact of reforms from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, but an analysis of early implementation finds that colleges have made significant progress.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: COVID-19 Emergency Funding and California’s Higher Education Systems By Jacob Jackson, Kevin Cook, Darriya Starr, Chansonette Buck Nov 16, 2022 Just before the pandemic hit, state funding for higher education was high and increasing, student outcomes were improving, and programs for students in need were robust. COVID-19 sent shocking changes through these educational institutions’ means and methods of operating.
Report COVID-19 Emergency Funding and California’s Higher Education Systems By Jacob Jackson, Kevin Cook, Darriya Starr Nov 16, 2022 Federal dollars offered timely, substantial support to the state’s higher education systems during the worst of the pandemic. Funding for students, online instruction, and social distancing measures made up key spending allocations.
