A study on the extent of pandemic-induced learning loss in 18 California districts reveals younger, lower-income students and English learners were the hardest hit by school closures last spring. The research from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) shows significant...
The closure of most California public school campuses since last March has been widely acknowledged to have hurt student learning, but a study this week brings that into sharper focus, finding significant loss in both language arts and math, and...
The first California study measuring declines in learning during the first months of the pandemic parallels findings nationally: There has been a significant drop in test results in the early grades, with low-income students and English learners showing the least...
Saving the Los Angeles school year has become a race against the clock—as campuses are unlikely to reopen until teachers are vaccinated against COVID-19 and infection rates decline at least three-fold, officials said Monday. The urgency to salvage the semester...
The impact of the pandemic on California students' learning, gauged from 18 school districts in the CORE Data Collaborative, highlights significant learning loss in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, primarily affecting younger grades. The equity gap is pronounced, notably among low-income students and English language learners (ELLs), experiencing more substantial setbacks than their counterparts. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students faced slower growth, while others accelerated their learning, intensifying existing achievement disparities. Upper-grade ELLs encountered severe setbacks due to challenges in virtual language development. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted support to redress these disparities, emphasizing the gravity of unequal experiences during the pandemic. Yet, data limitations call for deeper investigations into absent student groups to refine learning loss estimates. Addressing this crisis necessitates a student-centric approach, prioritizing social-emotional well-being and systemic educational reforms to accommodate diverse student needs.
As districts, schools, and families navigate a new normal following the abrupt end of in-person schooling this spring, students’ learning opportunities vary enormously across the nation. Access to devices and broadband internet and a secure learning environment are just a...
In his bid to get California school campuses back open, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed giving extra money to schools that managed to open by a certain date. But the $2 billion in grant money would come attached with strings that...
The pandemic-induced recession and a renewed focus on racial inequality has heightened interest in identifying how educational opportunities can improve social and economic mobility. Dual enrollment, which allows high school students to take college courses, is an important strategy for...
EdSource asked leaders representing all segments of California’s education system to comment on Gov. Newsom’s 2021-22 budget proposal. This year, we’ve presented their responses in reverse alphabetical order, which seemed apt for these topsy-turvy times.
Everyone that I know wants to get California’s 6 million-plus public school children back in school as quickly and as safely as possible. If we’re really going to get there though, state leaders, starting with Governor Newsom, are going to...
Schools in San Francisco shut in March of 2020, and at the time, officials announced a three-week closure. Nearly 10 months later, the city has not set an official date for reopening them. As of December, the school district and...
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt educational experiences of students across the nation, newly analyzed survey research by the California Education Lab at the University of California, Davis, details the high level of uncertainty and financial stress experienced by California high...
The transition to distance learning for all students has been a challenge, but particularly for those in transitional kindergarten through third grade who have not yet learned to read or lack experience using computers. A new brief from Policy Analysis...
Safe, high-quality recess can play an important role in children’s adjustment to school when they begin returning to in-person class, according to a policy brief by Policy Analysis for California Education.
Many public school advocates and school employee unions claim that the inability of schools to address the chronic achievement gap is lack of adequate funding. A Policy Analysis for California Education brief, "California’s Education Funding Crisis Explained in 12 Charts,"...
Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge A. Aguilar issues a statement in response to Governor Newsom’s announcement of a Safe Schools for All Plan. SCUSD continues its planning for in-person instruction as part of its Return Together Plan.
The San Francisco school district and its teachers union failed to reach an agreement to start reopening classrooms by late January after months of tense negotiations. The scuttled reopening timeline is the latest setback in a debate over schools marked...
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt educational experiences of students across the nation, newly analyzed survey research by the California Education Lab at the University of California, Davis, details the high level of uncertainty and financial stress experienced by California high...
Over the past 10 months, K-12 school districts in California have faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help reduce the spread of the virus in spring 2020, districts largely transitioned to distance-learning, with some or all of...
One of the few notable areas where Gov. Gavin Newsom departed from his predecessor Gov. Jerry Brown on entering office was his support for establishing a longitudinal data system linking information from preschool into the workplace. Despite the fact that most other...
Published on December 9th, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) reports on why EE is more than a "luxury" during COVID-19 and beyond. Environmental Education is documented to have social-emotional, physical, language/literacy, and civic benefits. Further, time in nature decreases...
To support California’s school districts and county offices of education as they navigate the new terrain of education during the COVID-19 pandemic, three of the state’s leading education-focused organizations have joined forces to create the Hybrid Distance (HD) Learning Collaborative...
Child advocates and school officials fear the enrollment drop and educational disruptions for the young children could widen existing racial achievement gaps, and endanger school financing in the future.
California’s long-awaited roadmap to reshape early childhood care and education in the state took a critical first step on Tuesday with the release of a first-ever 10-year master plan, but some advocates say more specifics are needed to ensure progress.
