Homeless Youth

December 12, 2019

Some ratings rise in 3rd year of California School Dashboard

Fewer districts will require help from county offices, but colors tell a bigger story; disparities among student groups persist.

November 27, 2019

Schools fail to identify thousands of homeless children, state audit finds

California schools must do a better job of counting and providing services to homeless students, audit says.

November 6, 2019

State audit finds education money not serving high-needs students, calls for changes in funding law

After examining three districts' spending, State Auditor Elaine Howle calls for tighter controls over Local Control Funding Formula.

October 31, 2019

Shorter, clearer (but maybe not more transparent) school accountability plan coming

The state board will deliver an LCAP template that will be easier to read, but it probably still won't be easy to follow the money.

October 9, 2019

Slow growth, big disparities after 5 years of Smarter Balanced tests

Average scores have been rising in English language arts, but dropping in math as students progress through middle and high school — a cause for worry.

John Fensterwald And Daniel J. Willis

School Finance

September 24, 2019

School boards group committed to tax plan despite legislative setback

Backers of a planned $15 billion tax initiative for the November 2020 ballot hope they can win over the California Teachers Association.

August 8, 2019

Smaller classes, more novice teachers: the 'tradeoff‘ for low-income California schools

A new study overcomes challenges from a lack of transparency to compare schools' spending under the Local Control Funding Formula.

July 30, 2019

LA Unified’s spending and accountability plan should be rejected and rewritten, says advocates’ complaint

Public Advocates argues the district doesn’t show how $1.2 billion in extra funding will benefit English learners and low-income students.

June 10, 2019

Southern California student-led initiatives show promise for colleges grappling with homelessness

Though no one knows exactly how many college students are homeless, experts believe the problem has worsened.

February 21, 2019

Support, strengthen education reforms in California, new report urges

Learning Policy Institute says schools need more funding, teachers need more support and the public needs more help understanding where the money goes.

February 6, 2019

California quietly publishes list of 781 lowest-performing schools

Convinced that stigmatizing “bad schools” and dictating improvements didn't work, state officials are counting on district-led solutions to low achievement.

November 27, 2018

California's graduation rate ticks up but, still, 1 in 10 high school students drops out

Despite steady overall progress, gaps among student ethnic and racial groups persist. The new data will indicate which low-performing school districts will receive assistance when the California School Dashboard is released next month.