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Policy Brief

Policy Brief: District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery

By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ...

States received billions in one-time stimulus funds to help recover from pandemic disruptions to education. California allocated much of its money to districts based on their shares of low-income students, which largely targeted schools with lower achievement levels rather than greater learning loss.

Report

District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery

By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Joseph Herrera ...

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.

Fact Sheet

Student Achievement on California’s K–12 Assessments

By Iwunze Ugo, Emmanuel Prunty

The results from California’s 2022 Smarter Balanced Assessments suggest that pandemic disruptions to K–12 education reversed nearly six years of academic progress. Declines in proficiency were widespread, but there was substantial variation across grade levels and demographic groups.

Fact Sheet

Student Loan Debt in California

By Jacob Jackson, Darriya Starr

Student borrowing in California has declined markedly over the past decade. Borrowing rates vary across the state’s public and private institutions; undergraduates at public universities are least likely to borrow, while students who attend for-profit schools are more likely to struggle to pay off loans.

blog post

College Gender Gap Starts Early and Extends across Races

By Hans Johnson, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Marisol Cuellar Mejia

Along every step of the educational pathway from 9th grade to college completion, women fare better than men. The college gender gap has far-reaching consequences for young men’s economic prospects, especially for those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.

blog post

Kindergarten Enrollment Declines Mask Differences by Age

By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty

Kindergarten enrollment at California’s public schools fell dramatically in 2020–21. Examining the trends for specific kindergarten ages—as well as the impact of transitional kindergarten (TK)—is key to understanding the broader decline in public school enrollment.

Report

Achieving Universal Broadband in California

By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao, Darriya Starr, Amy Gong Liu

In 2021, California invested over $6 billion to expand broadband infrastructure, address affordability, and promote digital literacy. This report examines barriers to installing broadband in underserved communities and offers recommendations as the state aims to close the digital divide.

blog post

Exploring the Spike in Chronic Absenteeism among K–12 Students

By Laura Hill, Emmanuel Prunty

Nearly one in three California public school students were chronically absent in 2021–22, a share that is almost triple that in 2018–19. Rates of chronic absenteeism were highest among Black, Native American, and Pacific Islander students.

Policy Brief

Policy Brief: Achieving Universal Broadband in California

By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao, Darriya Starr, Amy Gong Liu

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred historic federal and state investments in broadband. Achieving universal broadband in California will require coordinated efforts among service providers, municipalities, and community organizations to overcome existing barriers and leverage funding opportunities.

Explainer

Is College Worth It?

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Vicki Hsieh, Hans Johnson

Rising college costs and a reluctance to take on debt lead many students and families to wonder if college will actually yield a brighter future with higher earnings and better jobs. In this explainer, we explore whether the benefits of a college degree outweigh the costs.

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