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Reports & Research
On Tuesday, the Legislative Analyst released a report examining how school districts are using the categorical flexibility created in the state budget in February 2009. This report represents the first official analysis of the impact of allowing school districts flexibility in how they spend categorical funds. The LAO reports that “categorical flexibility is having a positive impact on local decision making and that the majority of districts generally appear to be using freed-up categorical funds to support core classroom instruction.” The report goes on to make several recommendations to the Legislature about further expansion of categorical flexibility...
LEducation in basic reading, writing, and math provides a gateway to better jobs and educational opportunities for many Californians, while ensuring that employers have a trained and competitive workforce. Several measures – including the fact that one out of four California adults cannot read an English-language newspaper – indicate a significant need for these programs in the state. A new California Budget Project report, the second in a series called At a Crossroads, examines how California finances its basic skills education...
Congress and the Obama administration should use the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to promote more consistent and rigorous academic standards across states, as well as more consistent and relevant teacher qualification requirements, according to a new RAND Corporation report. The report finds that the flexibility provided for in the Elementary and Secondary Act – which originated in 1965 and was reauthorized as No Child Left Behind in 2001 – has expanded the patchwork of accountability systems across states...
Living near major highways has been linked to childhood asthma, but a new study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) suggests that traffic-related pollution near schools is also contributing to the development of asthma in children. The researchers found that the risk of developing asthma due to exposure at school was comparable to that of children whose exposure occurred primarily at home, even though time spent at school only accounted for about one third of waking hours...
A new study from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds that the percentages of English language learners (ELLs) meeting achievement benchmarks has increased since 2006. According to the study, most achievement trends for ELLs are positive. In the 10 states with the largest number of ELL test-takers, positive trends outnumbered negative trends. The study, State Test Score Trends Through 2007-08: Has Progress Been Made in Raising Achievement for English Language Learners?, analyzes progress in achievement for ELLs on state tests from 2006—when federal regulations for testing ELLs and determining their progress under No Child Left Behind were finalized—to 2008...
A new report released last week by The Education Trust documents how budgeting practices in school districts across the country are shortchanging low-income students and undermining the power of federal investments in high-poverty schools. “Close the Hidden Funding Gaps in Our Schools” shines a light on these widespread and unjust accounting practices and offers Congress a straightforward legislative path: Fix the so-called comparability provisions of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)...
High-quality teachers are the strongest influence on academic outcomes, including graduation, yet those high-quality teachers are scarce in the high schools that serve the majority of students at risk for dropping out, according to an issue brief released last week by the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), based in Washington DC. CHSE urged the implementation of federal education policies to ensure equitable access to effective teachers by all students, including students of color and Native students. The group’s policy recommendations include improving strategies to recruit, support, and retain a diverse effective teacher workforce...
A report released last week by the California Dropout Research Project (CDRP) describes the connections between health and high school dropouts, two top priorities of the Obama administration. The latest report synthesizes existing research, examining several aspects of how health affects dropouts, and highlights three distinct pathways in which both are connected. Childhood physical illness, childhood mental health problems and adolescent risk behaviors are the three pathways that link health and education. Physical illnesses and chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes can prevent a child from succeeding...
A report released Tuesday by the Pew Center for the States Research indicates that state pre-k programs with higher teacher qualification requirements improve children’s school readiness so states get the most out of their investment in early education. The new report provides examples of how states can use mandates, incentives and training programs to move toward more rigorous teacher preparation and more effective pre-k classrooms. The report highlights the evidence showing that state-funded, voluntary pre-k can produce substantial learning gains for children from all social and economic backgrounds with long-term benefits far exceeding program costs...
A report released Monday by The Education Trust shows that schools often lumped together as “low performing” are not all alike. Examining data from reading and mathematics assessments for elementary and middle schools in ten states, the study’s authors found that some low-performing schools remain stuck year after year, and others that started low performing are among the fastest improvers in their states. The report, “Stuck Schools: A Framework for Identifying Schools Where Students Need Change—Now!” examines what’s actually happening—and what is not—in our lowest performing schools...
High standards and plain old hard work – rather than simply searching for a charismatic principal – leads to higher achievement in middle schools. That’s the major conclusion of new broad-based research study from EdSource, drawing on information gathered at hundreds of California schools. The report finds that middle grades schools in which middle- and low-income students do well academically have a lot in common...
A new report, "School-site Administrators: A California County and Regional Perspective on Labor Market Trends," highlights expected need for new principals and vice-principals driven by projected growth in student enrollment and looming retirements over the next 10 years. The study indicates that the ten counties with the highest student enrollment will drive much of the overall numbers of school-site administrators needed in the coming decade...
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell last week announced the availability of a new resource to help close the achievement gap by improving the culture and climate of the teaching and learning environment at schools. The Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap is designed to give teachers and school leaders step-by-step guidance on how to interpret and respond to the results of their state-sponsored school climate surveys...
A study from the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access gives a good indication of the devastating effect that $17 billion in cuts to California’s education budget has had on students. The study compiled responses from 87 principals throughout the state. The principals represented various demographics, including school size and type, ethnic and socio-economic factors. The report included six key findings:...
Highly accomplished teachers assessing the merits of the No Child Left Behind Act give the federal legislation a mixed report card, according to a study by University of California, Riverside researchers that appeared this week in Policy Matters, a quarterly journal published by UCR. Researchers Patrick Guggino, who earned his Ph.D. in education from UCR in 2008, and Steven Brint, professor of sociology, surveyed more than 740 of California’s most accomplished teachers to assess the effectiveness and unintended consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act...
After decades of concern that girls were being shortchanged in male-dominated schools, there are now some people worrying about whether boys are actually the ones in peril. In the article “Gender Gap,” available online and appearing in the forthcoming Spring 2010 issue of Education Next, Richard Whitmire, author of the book Why Boys Fail, and Susan McGee Bailey, principal author of the 1992 report How Schools Shortchange Girls debate whether schools are now shortchanging boys...
Adding another bruise to the state’s reeling ego, literacy rates fell in every major California city in 2009 according to Central Connecticut State University’s (CCSU) annual ranking of literacy rates in major cities across the country. California and Texas cities represent sixteen of the bottom twenty five cities on the list—nine and seven cities, respectively. A “major city” is defined as having a population over 250,000. Alone at the top of the list amongst its California peers, San Francisco fell from No. 5 to No. 12, wiping out a three year trend of increases from No. 9 in 2006 to No. 5 in 2008...
Significant changes to children’s health care and education policies are required for California to regain its financial footing and safeguard its future economic competitiveness. These are among the findings of a new study released today from Children Now, a leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to assuring all children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The 2010 California Report Card: Setting the Agenda for Children identifies many critical issues affecting children’s well-being and threatening to compromise public health and the economy...
This is the fifth biennial report released by The Rural School and Community Trust that analyzes the current condition of education in rural communities in all of the United States. The report also points to the needs of the individual states in rural education, thus requiring the state educational leaders to pay attention to issues that either were not or could not previously be addressed.
A new series of reports from the Legislative Analyst’s Office seeks to inform California’s Legislature about the latest issues in higher education funding and policy. This report provides an overview of the series and a comparison between the original Master Plan and our current state of affairs. The 1960 Master Plan began as a basic framework for California’s higher education system and evolved into an amalgamation of both written and unwritten policies and goals embraced by the state...
This publication presents five articles that discuss separate issues regarding charter schools in California. The first article, Focus on Quality, discusses several standards measuring a charter school’s success using standards developed from within and outside the industry. Currently there is no consensus on this issue, and debate ranges from whether it would be best to apply charter-only standards or apply the same standards that are used for regular public schools. Furthermore, once defined, how are successes to be replicated on broader scale, and in a sustainable manner?...
This is an update of the 2003 manual, focusing on several key areas. This manual serves as a guide to financial reporting for many states, school districts, and schools, while also seeking to create a recognizable national standard and concurrently acknowledging state and local unique qualities. The 2009 revision focuses on clarifying definitions, detailing federal requirements, and assuring compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Obsolete language has been removed from accounting classification descriptions while other classifications have been added or expanded...
A new report release by the Public Policy Institute of California accumulates the numerous revenue sources that California’s public school system has to tap into, and endeavors to organize that information into a coherent and accessible document. This is a companion piece to an earlier report entitled “The Public Policy Institute of California School Finance Model.” That earlier report looked at the specific amounts each school entity received during the 2005-2006 year. The sources of revenue for school districts, local education agencies, charter schools, and non-profit organizations that support education are broken down into three categories: local, federal, and state...
The U.S. Department of Education released this comprehensive report that looks at the status of the education system in America, examining four overarching interest areas: participation, learner outcomes, graduation and education levels achieved, and school environments. The report examines aggregated and disaggregated data within each interest area, and confines its data collection to the period between 1970 and 2007. The education system is under stress throughout America. Enrollment levels are projected to increase to beyond current capacity within the next decade...
This is the fourth part of a multi-component study which examined California’s preschool education system. Each of the three previous studies looked at specific elements within Pre-Kindergarten education system and were meant to act as informative sources for the fourth study. The first study in this series looked at the need for Pre-Kindergarten programs that sought to elevate K-3 achievements. The next study looked at the quality and level of access available to parents of Pre-Kindergarten students. The last study analyzed the extent to which efficiencies in early care and education (ECE) programs can be improved...
The best and most practical way to close California’s achievement gap – meaning the differential in academic performance by the state’s diverse ethnic and socioeconomic groups – may be to devote more resources to early childhood education. That’s one conclusion of a new study released this week. Titled “Preschool Adequacy and Efficiency in California,” the study is the fourth and final report in the RAND Corporation’s series on California’s preschool system. The study was released as state government is nearly paralyzed by a growing budget crisis...
In July 2008, California's State Board of Education (SBE) sought to test all eighth-grade students in Algebra I, a decision that was challenged by the California Teachers Association and Association of California School Administrators, and is still being appealed in a California court. The SBE's move was prompted in part by the vagueness perceived by many in California's mathematics standards. The SBE’s decision has brought to the forefront a clear need for a reevaluation of California's math curricula, especially in late elementary and middle school grades...
This report offers a look at what hopes lie in the upcoming transformations in how student and teacher data is collected and stored in California. The state’s two new systems, California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and California Longitudinal Teacher Integrated Data Education System (CALTIDES) will gather increased types of data on students and teachers into organized, computerized, disaggregated pools of information. For students, not only the prerequisite demographic data such as gender and age, but also achievement data, program participation (Title I, ELS, etc.), and disciplinary history will follow each student throughout their educational career, as part of the CALPADS system...
A report in February presented by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance sought to study the effects of four different math curricula on achievement standards by students in disadvantaged schools. The four math curricula used were Math Expressions (Expressions), Saxon Math (Saxon), Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (Investigations), and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW). Publishers and developers were asked to submit proposals for including their curricula in the study. First graders in 39 schools across the country were examined, which were chosen at random and were voluntary participants...
By the year 2025, it is projected that California will have a serious gap between its need for college graduates and the number of actual degree holders, a gap projected to be nearly one million. The Public Policy Institute of California addresses this issue in its recent report, Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates, discussing both the causes and possible solutions. First, the well-educated Baby Boomer generation is currently entering retirement age, and will continue to do so for the next 20 years. Removing this valuable asset from the work force creates an obvious need...
This report looks at the trend of compliance levels by school districts in reporting and making available key information on school performance and conditions. In the past four years, there have been significant improvements in compliance among districts. Despite the truncated time frame to report findings, many districts have shown an improved on-time record, up from 50% to 87% in the last five years. Additionally, 81% now offer their School Accountability Report Card (SARC) in various languages to meet the needs of the parents and students in their districts...
The Obama Administration is hailing the potential of green technology and is making it a key element of the economic revitalization and recovery effort now underway. Education reform is also a part of this effort, which has led some to conclude, why not marry the two in the name of efficiency? There are many benefits from the inclusion of green technology and building concepts in school construction for students, teachers, and the community. Currently the Los Angeles Unified School District has 21 green schools planned, which will service 23,600 students...
On March 11th in Washington, D.C., the Mass Insight Education and Research Institute held a conference to discuss the key components in its report Turn Around Challenge: Why America's Best Opportunity to Dramatically Improve Student Achievement Lies in our Worst Performing Schools. The main focus of the report concerns the bottom 5% of America's schools, the schools with the most opportunity for improvement. These schools represent some 2.5 million students, mostly in high-poverty districts...
The U.S. Department of Education, in cooperation with the Institute of Education Sciences, released the report Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2009. This is the fourth report in a series which assesses the national education systems of developed nations (G-8) to form a clearer picture of comparative performances. In a measure of 5-to-29 year olds, the segment of the population most likely to be enrolled in school, the U.S. has seen an increase in the size of this population, while other members of the G-8 have watched this population decline...
In February, the Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report which looked into the effectiveness of teacher recruitment and retention programs throughout California. Five percent of California teachers lack full credentials and many teachers are asked to teach outside their area of matter expertise. There are noticeable gaps in percentages of teachers who are fully credentialed between high performing and low performing schools. In high performing schools, only 2% lack full credentials, while in low performing schools, that statistic jumps to 8%...
EdSource releases its second brief in a series which looks at California's student data system, also known as CALPADS. The report looks at what information should be collected on students, and who is responsible for that data collection at the district level, but goes on to point out that the infrastructure for collection varies widely across school districts. The report utilizes a handful of case studies to illustrate those inconsistencies and the obstacles at the local level that exist for Local Educational Agencies (LEA's), such as capacity and funding...
California’s public schools continue to fall behind a majority of the rest of the nations’ public school systems, as detailed in a report released recently by UCLA IDEA and UC ACCORD. The California Education Opportunity Report stated that according to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), California ranks 45th overall when measuring reading and mathematics skills of 4th and 8th graders aggregately. The report also looks at differences between districts in both resources and performance measures...
It has long been argued that AP© testing and doing well on those tests is an accurate indicator of how well a student will perform in college-level classes as well as an on-time graduation marker. The College Board, a national administrator of college-entry tests, has recently released its results on student’s performance for 2008. California students have shown marked increases in several areas. California students tend to enroll at a higher rate than the national average. In 2008, 30.8% of California high school students were enrolled in at least one AP© exam, while the national rate was 25%...
The PPIC has released a report examining California’s special education programs and the funding of those programs. Different kinds of disabilities require varying levels of economic and time commitments. This report examines the variables in both aggregated and disaggregated forms. Increases in cases of autism and California’s mandate that requires students with disabilities pass the CAHSEE have brought funding and reporting in the area of special education to the forefront of educational reform. The report states that while today’s students are beating historical trends, they are...
Due to the very serious nature of the state’s fiscal problems and the likelihood that the Legislature will be discussing budget issues on a more accelerated pace this year, the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) decided to depart from their traditional approach of publishing out their Analysis and the Prospective & Issues documents. Instead, the LAO staff have been releasing a series of reports aimed at addressing the 2009-10 budget situation. Since the series will relate to specific policy areas, our Reports & Research section will keep you up-to-date...
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has released its annual report card examining California’s education system. In 4 of the 6 indicators used, California has remained static or shown some improvement. While initially this seems like an overall improvement, one must remember that the state has either remained static or shown slight improvement in areas where it was already seriously lagging. More Californians overall have earned bachelor’s degrees; however, there are racial disparities...
Despite efforts by the state to improve the academic performance of economically disadvantaged (ED) students, with 40% of all categorical spending geared towards such programs, these students still perform well below both California and national ED students. There are many programs set up to address the barriers to receiving and achieving a quality education for ED students, like Head Start, but there is no overarching authority which is held accountable for the path and success of these students...
Children Now has published its annual report card, grading the state in the areas of health and education, and the report card is that of an underachieving student. California's education system serves a diverse population, numbering 10 million children between the ages of 0 and 18, yet "California ranks near the bottom on national measures of student achievement." Also, nearly 10% are or at risk of being without medical coverage at a time when a number of health issues threaten their futures...
If high school students are to meet the challenges and opportunities of life after high school, such as attending college or entering into the labor market, those schools must change. Currently half of America’s high school students are graduating on time and under prepared for life after. MDRC recently published a report looking at key areas where high schools can be improved so as to maximize the number of graduates who are college or work-ready. Themes arose from the conference and the subsequent research it generated...
According to a recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), there will be serious divergence between the supply of college educated workers and a need for those workers. By 2025, when the current 50-64 group, who have a higher percentage of bachelor's degrees than other age groups, will reach retirement age, creating an immediate need for similarly educated workers. As current trends go, Deborah Reed at PPIC predicts that there will be more jobs than qualified workers...
A growing number of high school graduates are enrolling in California's community colleges. However, there is a gap between the objectives and assessment tools used at either level to advance the education of their students. The readiness for college-level work in English language arts and mathematics of both high school students and community college students is the focus of a new report by EdSource, High School to Community College: New Efforts to Build Shared Expectations, published in November...
Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released a report which sought to address the fluctuations of state-level inclusion rates of students with disabilities (SDs). These fluctuations have called into question the validity of NAEP’s data. In an effort to address those concerns, NAEP developed a two-pronged approach to reassess the data. While the report does not address explanations behind state-level reported results, the NAEP does look at the measures and the method of measure currently used, making several suggestions on improving both...
In 1990, Congress enacted the Children's Television Act (CTA) which required television stations to air three hours a week of educational programming in exchange for the free use of publicly-owned airwaves. However, there is a missing element within the CTA, basic standards by which to qualify and quantify the content of educational programming. Standards delineating what constitutes "educational" programming are open to interpretation and, as a consequence, have led to shows such as The Flintstones being used by broadcasters to fulfill their weekly three-hour obligation...
The first in a series of briefs published by EdSource, California's Emerging Education Data System: A Status Report looks at the burgeoning sector of educational information systems in California. After years of delay, the California Department of Education is finally moving towards rolling out its California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). This will begin the process of bringing the California K-12 education system into compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001...
The State of California supports child care and child development (including pre-school) programs that serve two main purposes: 1) To provide affordable child care for lower-income working families; and 2) To promote healthy child development and school readiness. Some programs serve both purposes. This report is an informational tool for policymakers, school districts, and others. It compiles and organizes a range of programmatic and fiscal information about the State’s child care programs, and provides comparisons among programs...
This report provides some answers regarding how California compares with the rest of the country and the four next-largest states – Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois – which are the most likely to face similar challenges. Of equal important are the issues the data and and analyses raise about the young people in this State is education, its commitment to its public schools, and its progress in helping its students succeed. California has set high expectations for the academic achievement of its students...
In this edition of Conditions in Education in California six of California's leading policy scholars provide analysis of the urgent educational challenges facing our State. The report provides baseline data on the current performance of California's schools and students, and makes specific recommendations for policy changes that will support long-term improvement.
To view this report in its entirety...
This research brief summarizes an assessment of child-care quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) in five states and provides recommendations for designing, implementing, and refining such systems. This study is based on a small number of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in each state; therefore, the conclusions and recommendations serve only as a starting place in filling the knowledge gap about designing and implementing QRISs. According to the results, cost issues strongly affected their choice of components and component measures...
This report examines whether current arts and education policies address the challenges created by diminishing demand. The figure offers a framework for understanding supply, access, and demand as they relate to the arts. Supporting the supply of artworks is a vast infrastructure of artists, people who train artists, arts-producing and – presenting organizations, and many other contributors to the creation, display, and performances of artworks. Supporting the demand for the arts are individuals and institutions that help draw people into engagement with works of art and teach them what to notice and value in encounter...
In this report, the ACLU and Human Rights Watch found that children ranging in age from 3 – 19 years old are routinely physically punished for minor infractions such as chewing gum, talking back to the teacher, or violating the dress code, as well as for more serious transgressions such as fighting. Corporal punishment, legal in 21 states, typically takes the form of “paddling,” during which an administrator or teacher hits a child repeatedly on the buttocks with a long wooden board. The report shows that, as a result of paddling, many children are left injured, degraded, and disengaged from schoo...
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