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Informing Policy, Improving Practice for California Students
Toward a Stronger Next Generation of California Education
California is at an inflection point in education. Over the past two decades, the state has built stronger foundations through more equitable school funding, stronger standards and assessments, expanded early childhood education, improved data systems, and investments in community schools, early literacy, and the educator workforce. Yet California now faces a different question: whether those stronger foundations can support a public education system prepared for a very different future. Work is changing quickly, student engagement and well-being remain fragile after the pandemic, and federal commitments to civil rights, student welfare, and accountability have become less certain.
What the Research Shows
Across 55 studies, this body of work examines the conditions, practices, and systems that drive impact. The findings provide a rigorous evidence base to inform decision-making at the state, district, and school levels.
Research Brief
From Expansion to Excellence: Addressing Systemic Challenges to Better Serve California’s Youngest Learners
This brief examines how California can expand and improve early childhood education by addressing systemic challenges to better serve its youngest learners.
Technical Report
The Hidden, Guiding Hand of Compliance in California Public Schools
This report documents the administrative time California educators devote to compliance. It considers how the state could preserve accountability while reducing unnecessary burden on local leaders.
Research Brief
Student Outcomes in California: Progress, Uneven Recovery, and Persistent Gaps
This brief analyzes student outcomes in California, showing uneven post-pandemic recovery and persistent achievement gaps across student groups and regions.
Technical Report
Re-Envisioning California’s County Offices of Education
This report examines the evolving role of county offices of education in California’s education system. It considers how county offices can serve as both support providers and accountability partners for districts.
Research Brief
Mathematics in California: Gaps, Capacity, and Implementation
This brief examines mathematics education in California, highlighting persistent achievement gaps and challenges in instructional capacity and implementation across the state.
Research Brief
Charter Schools in California: Autonomy, Accountability, and Variation
This brief examines California’s charter school system, focusing on the balance between autonomy and accountability and the wide variation in performance and practice across schools.