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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 and English learners. 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.

December 13, 2018

What California can learn from universal preschool in other states

Some states have successfully expanded both access and the quality of their preschool programs. Here’s what some early learning advocates and researchers say California could learn from them.

Zaidee Stavely
December 11, 2018

School suspensions continue downward trend in California, new data show

About half as many students were sent home for disciplinary reasons during the 2017-18 school year as had been at the beginning of the decade.

David Washburn And Daniel J. Willis
December 11, 2018

In push for universal preschool, lessons to heed from California's class size reduction program

The $1 billion program was implemented in less than two months.

Louis Freedberg
December 10, 2018

Public education must promote participation in democratic process

Civic engagement by young people strengthens the social fabric and our democracy, authors say.

Henry A. J. Ramos and Eric C. Abrams
December 6, 2018

Ratings in updated California School Dashboard target more districts for assistance

Two near indicators – chronic absenteeism and college/career readiness – debut and reemphasize the need to boost attendance of younger students and better prepare high schoolers for post-graduation.

John Fensterwald
December 6, 2018

Search and compare data from the California School Dashboard, 2018

Search and compare all California public schools, districts, cities and counties for data from the state's new school accountability dashboard.

Justin Allen, Daniel J. Willis, And Yuxuan Xie
December 4, 2018

New push underway to expand preschool for low-income children in California

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty introduced three bills this week, one to expand spaces for public preschool for low-income 4-year-olds, one to improve preschool facilities and one to increase reimbursement for preschool programs.

Zaidee Stavely
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
November 28, 2018

Plans come into focus for California schools ravaged by wildfires

Officials have identified three elementary schools that will take Paradise Unified students displaced by the deadly Camp Fire and are close to securing a site for middle and high schoolers.

David Washburn And Diana Lambert
November 26, 2018

Measuring growth in test scores is key to understanding student progress

School communities need actionable data and a complete picture of progress to support meaningful changes for students.

Steve Martinez and Rick Miller
November 21, 2018

Tony Thurmond names second in command at California Department of Education

Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, will return to the state's department of education where she held key positions for a dozen years.

John Fensterwald
November 17, 2018

Thurmond wins race for California state superintendent of public instruction

Thurmond has 50.8 percent of the vote, compared to Tucks’ 49.2 percent.

Louis Freedberg And John Fensterwald
November 14, 2018

New California coalition agrees on next steps to improve schools, student achievement

The Alliance for Continuous Improvement releases a "GPS" guide that calls for improving on sweeping changes already in place: new education standards, a more equitable funding system and higher expectations for student success.

John Fensterwald
November 9, 2018

A three-point education agenda for California in 2019

Newly elected policymakers should focus on supporting teachers, helping struggling students, and better aligning teaching materials to state standards, say former California secretaries of education Gary Hart and Glen Thomas

Gary K. Hart and Glen Thomas
November 7, 2018

A cradle-to-career education system in California: What it might cost

Gavin Newsom has proposed a far-reaching education agenda - but at what price? A visual guide from EdSource

Yuxuan Xie And Karin Fischer