College forum shines spotlight on equitable admissions, college/career preparation

The convergence of new research on standardized testing, a controversial proposed entrance requirement at California State University and the recent “Varsity Blues” admission scandal served as the backdrop for a wide-ranging Nov. 22 forum at UC Berkeley Law School. The Policy Analysis for California Education […]

Financial aid report illustrates need for schools to boost student participation

With financial aid critical to many of California’s low-income youth and students of color seeking to attend college, a new report from the Education Trust–West finds that the students who would benefit the most are attending high schools with some of the lowest application completion […]

Report finds dearth of available housing for Bay Area teachers, calls for inspired solutions

Most teachers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties don’t make enough to pay for market-rate rent or purchase a home near their schools yet make too much to qualify for housing assistance programs, according to a new report by the Council of Community Housing […]

Report: Creating safe and engaging school environments can boost student attendance

Creating an engaging, supportive, welcoming and culturally responsive school environment can help to reduce absence rates — something on the minds of all school and district officials with Attendance Awareness Month in full swing. A new report from Attendance Works calls on school boards and […]

LPI report highlights districts closing opportunity gaps and their strategies

Many districts in California have struggled to adequately support underserved student groups through changes in curriculum, school funding and student assessments in the last five years, but a recent report from the Learning Policy Institute found more than one hundred districts bucking that trend. They […]

California sets record for high school sports participation while football continues decline

Participation in high school sports in California set an all-time high for the seventh straight year in 2018–19, though the most popular sport, football, continued its trend of seeing substantial decreases in participation. The results indicate that many of California’s student athletes who left football […]

New study finds high-need students see both benefits and pitfalls from LCFF

Six years after California policymakers enacted the Local Control Funding Formula for K-12 public schools, the goal of providing additional resources to high-need districts is being met. A new study, however, suggests several hurdles still need to be addressed to ensure all students receive the […]

Obesity rate remains high for California’s fifth-graders, racial disparities prominent

Showing only marginal improvement from years prior, 40.5 percent of California fifth-graders were overweight or obese in 2018, according to new data from the Kidsdata program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Research has long shown that the physical health of students significantly […]

Report finds increased funding and access but low standards for California pre-K programs

California increased its early childhood education funding and enrollment in 2017–18, but fell below the national average for meeting minimum quality standards, according to “The State of Preschool 2018” annual report from the National Institute for Early Education Research. The pre-K programs — composed of […]