blog post Who Is Unemployed in California? By Sarah Bohn Aug 24, 2023 While still historically low, unemployment in California has ticked up over the past year. Unemployment among men has increased more than for most other demographic groups and much more than for women.
event Bridging California’s Digital Divide Jul 18, 2023 The pandemic highlighted longstanding gaps in reliable internet access and spurred unprecedented investments in broadband. What are the barriers to digital access across California’s diverse communities? How can we leverage recent funding to overcome obstacles and ensure digital equity? Join us for a multi-day conference about these critical issues.
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.
blog post Video: Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Stephanie Barton Apr 28, 2023 PPIC researcher Heather Harris discusses a new report on the effects of policies put in place by California courts to address pandemic conditions, with a focus on remote hearings.
Report Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Heather Harris Apr 12, 2023 California’s criminal courts quickly adopted policies to address COVID-19. But uneven adoption around the state affected who might face those policies—as well as whether people were convicted and the sentences handed out. In particular, remote hearings contributed to racial differences in outcomes, which may influence whether such hearings continue.
Report Achieving Universal Broadband in California By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao, Darriya Starr, Amy Gong Liu Mar 29, 2023 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 Californians Are Pessimistic about Economic Times Ahead By Dean Bonner, Sarah Bohn Jan 18, 2023 While the state’s economy looks strong on many measures, more than two-thirds of Californians expect bad economic times in the next year, according to PPIC’s November survey. Meanwhile, high prices and growing inequality are significant concerns, especially for low-income residents.
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 How Is Remote Work Affecting Worker Preferences and the Economy? By Dean Bonner, Sarah Bohn Dec 13, 2022 More than one-third of employed Californians say they work from home either all the time or sometimes. But the ability to work remotely varies across industries, occupations, and regions, with significant implications for job-seeking patterns and economic opportunity.
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.
