Policy & Finance

Topic

State Education Policy

In passing the Local Control Funding Formula in 2013, the Legislature shifted decision-making back to local districts and steered more money to districts with higher proportions of low-income children, English learners and foster and homeless children. Proposition 98, adopted in 1988, sets the overall yearly level of K-12 and community college spending through a complex formula tied to the growth in the state economy. The changes in funding were tied to major changes in how districts assess students and are held accountable for their success. Districts must outline how they will spend their funds in a Local Control and Accountability Plan. Whether these reforms succeed in improving student outcomes significantly and narrow historically large achievement gaps is now the core issue and challenge in education reform in California.

April 26, 2019

Despite education reforms, foster students in California lag far behind on multiple measures

Some school districts emerge as models for serving foster youth, but others are doing little to target them with specific programs.

Rob Waters

April 19, 2019

Outside public view, panel faces tight deadline to recommend reforms of California's charter school law

The Charter Task Force is taking on one of the most heated education reform issues in the state and is shooting to come up with recommendations to send to Gov. Newsom by July 1.

Louis Freedberg

April 17, 2019

California lags behind other states in quality and access to state-funded preschool

California was ranked 14th in access to preschool for 4-year-olds, behind Oklahoma, Vermont, Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia and South Carolina, among other states.

Zaidee Stavely

April 15, 2019

More new teachers in pipeline, but California falling short in producing fully qualified ones

About half of new teachers hired in California classrooms are not fully credentialed.

Louis Freedberg

April 11, 2019

Efforts to restrict charter school growth in California inch forward in state Legislature

The Assembly Education Committee chaired by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, a former high school teacher, approved legislation that, among other things, would place a cap on charter schools in the state to approximately their current levels and deny the State Board of Education the ability to approve a charter application after being denied by a school district or county office of education.

Louis Freedberg

April 9, 2019

California students learn to code to prepare for tomorrow's jobs

Thousands of students at 260 schools in low-income California communities are learning computer coding after school in the Kids Code program. A school’s eligibility for the grant was based on the number of students receiving free and reduced-priced lunch, used as an indicator of community poverty.

Diana Lambert

April 2, 2019

Lack of effective state education data system holds students back

Longitudinal system that connects K-12 and higher ed could help more students complete college.

Michal Kurlaender

April 2, 2019

Newsom names two to state’s education board: former superintendent and early ed advocate

Kim Pattillo-Brownson, vice president for policy and strategy at First 5 Los Angeles, and Matt Navo, former superintendent of much studied Sanger Unified, will join the 11 member policy-setting board.

John Fensterwald And Zaidee Stavely

March 29, 2019

Another push to expand use of SAT in California amid criticism of test

One bill would let school districts give the SAT or ACT to all students, at state expense; another calls on UC and CSU to consider phasing out the tests altogether.

John Fensterwald

March 25, 2019

California needs a better education data system but who will manage it?

A well-constructed higher-education coordinating entity could change the course of California education from opaque and siloed to transparent and coordinated.

Ria Sengupta Bhatt

March 19, 2019

Darling-Hammond: Building a 'world class and equitable education system in California'

In her first remarks as president of the State Board of Education, Linda Darling-Hammond says that California must prepare kids "to work with knowledge that hasn't been discovered yet, using technologies that haven't been invented yet, solving big problems that we have not yet managed to solve."

EdSource Staff

March 14, 2019

Gov. Newsom's early childhood advisor describes 'whole-child, whole-family, whole-community' strategy

Giannina Pérez previously worked for Early Edge California and Children Now, both well-known children’s advocacy organizations. As an advocate, she worked to expand training for early childhood educators to better support children who speak languages other than English at home.

Zaidee Stavely

March 14, 2019

Charter school supporters unveil battle strategy against push to restrict growth in California

The California Charter Schools Association takes aim at the California Teachers Association.

Diana Lambert

March 12, 2019

Bringing education closer to home helps vulnerable kids

Initiative takes afterschool programs to affordable housing communities.

Jennifer Peck

March 8, 2019

California governor's new task force on charter schools convenes

The task force will examine the financial impact of charter schools and report back to Gov. Gavin Newsom.