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Independent, objective, nonpartisan research
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K–12 Education

Evaluating resources and policies that improve student outcomes

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Fact Sheet · September 2022

Financing California’s Public Schools

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Fact Sheet · June 2022

The Digital Divide in Education

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Report · June 2022

The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education

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Blog Posts

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March 3, 2023

Are Summer School Programs Reaching Students Who Need Them Most?

Darriya Starr, Niu Gao

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February 3, 2023

Video: A Conversation with California’s Legislative Leadership

Mary Severance

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December 15, 2022

2022 Year in Review

Mark Baldassare

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December 14, 2022

Test Scores Show Six-Year Setback for California Students

Darriya Starr, Emmanuel Prunty, Joseph Herrera, Iwunze Ugo

Fact Sheet

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photo - Stack of Books
September 2022

Financing California’s Public Schools

Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera

photo - Two Young Students Use Laptop for Schoolwork
June 2022

The Digital Divide in Education

Darriya Starr, Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao

photo - Preschool Students and Teacher Coloring
April 2019

Public Preschools in California

Caroline Danielson, Tess Thorman

Events

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education

August 16, 2022

Responding to the Youth Mental Health Crisis

June 1, 2022

Featured Blog Post · December 5, 2022

Investing in Schools to Address COVID-19’s Toll on Youth Mental Health

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Fact Cards

Enrollment in California’s public K–12 schools fell nearly 3% in 2020–21 and another 2% in 2021–22.
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A majority of the nearly 6 million students in California’s public schools are “high need”—low-income, English Learner (EL), homeless, or foster youth.
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Over 35% of California’s schoolchildren are either current or former English Learners.
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Schools were a key source of food for low-income families despite closures during the pandemic.
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California ranks near the bottom 50 states for share of high school graduates who directly enroll in four-year college
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Meet the Team

Niu Gao

Senior Fellow

Email 415-291-4491
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Joseph Hayes

Research Associate

Email 415-291-4438
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Joseph Herrera

Research Associate

Email 415-291-4448
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Laura Hill

Policy Director and Senior Fellow

Email 415-291-4424
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Julien Lafortune

Research Fellow

Email 415-291-4473
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Amy Gong Liu

Project Assistant

Email
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Emmanuel Prunty

Research Associate

Email 415-291-4431
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Darriya Starr

Research Associate

Email 415-291-4455
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Iwunze Ugo

Research Fellow

Email 415-291-1122
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Qifan Zhang

Project Assistant

Email
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