Children Now

November 28, 2018

California school districts to get ‘wake-up call’ with new absenteeism measures

At least 40 percent of California school districts and charter schools have rates of chronic absence in grades K-8 that are high or very high based on new performance measures that will be unveiled next month.

David Washburn

July 10, 2018

Pressure builds to change how California measures student progress on state tests

Student advocacy groups and academics are seeking to adopt a model other states use to calculate the impact of students’ test score growth, but state staff urge patience.

John Fensterwald And Mikhail Zinshteyn

July 3, 2018

San Francisco school finds key to raising math scores: Teacher training

Intensive teacher training led to John Muir Elementary seeing a spike in math scores

Carolyn Jones

June 27, 2018

State budget has nearly $400 million for science, math education — but not teacher training

After-school coding classes, high school tech internships and STEM teacher residencies are among the programs funded in the new state budget.

Carolyn Jones

June 4, 2018

Will state budget deal include expanded ban on 'willful defiance' suspensions?

Tucked inside Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revision of the state budget is a proposal to extend California's ban on suspensions for “willful defiance” in early elementary grades.

David Washburn

March 29, 2018

Districts must do more to reduce low-income schools' share of inexperienced, ineffective teachers under new federal law

Effectiveness has nothing to do with teachers' impact or performance, as California defines it under the new federal law.

John Fensterwald

September 12, 2017

California's education plan must be more transparent about student performance

State can support schools and districts without shame and blame while also showing clearly how students are doing.

Samantha Tran

July 17, 2017

State board, advocacy groups fundamentally disagree over plan for complying with federal education law

Is the state's bare-bones response to the Every Student Succeeds Act a shrewd tactic or a missed opportunity?

John Fensterwald

July 9, 2017

Author strips key parts of bill requiring more transparency in school spending

Proponents said public needs to know where money from Local Control Formula goes.

John Fensterwald

May 16, 2017

Gov. Brown's revised budget plan draws mixed response from early education advocates

While early education advocates say they appreciate Gov. Jerry Brown keeping last year’s promise to increase preschool funding, they lamented that the May budget revision didn’t include additional money and changes that would allow more low-income families to qualify for subsidized child care.

Ashley Hopkinson

May 4, 2017

State board inscribes 'California Way' on state plan for new federal law

The Every Student Succeeds Act gives states more latitude to spend federal dollars and fix low-achieving schools.

John Fensterwald

March 2, 2017

California policymakers must pay more attention to infants and toddlers, advocates say

Children Now, a child care advocacy organization based in Oakland, released a new report outlining policy guidelines for state and local leaders to improve outcomes for California's infants and toddlers, particularly those born to low-income families.