News

 
  • | Getting Down to Facts III

    The second webinar in the five-part Getting Down to Facts III webinar series is now available to watch on demand.

    Held September 10, the webinar explored who governs California’s schools and how state oversight, district capacity, compliance requirements, and intervention policies influence local decision-making and school improvement.

    The webinar featured Tye Ripma and H. Alix Gallagher of Stanford University and Jason Willis of the University of the Pacific and WestEd, who presented findings from their latest research.

  • | Stanford Report

    As districts nationwide weigh school closures to shore up their budgets, new research reveals the fiscal payoff doesn’t always materialize in California.

    For school districts facing enrollment declines and mounting budget pressures, closing schools seems like an obvious – if often contentious – way to get finances back on track. But new research from Stanford suggests the reality is not so open-and-shut. 

    A study drawing on data from all California public school districts between 2011 and 2019 found that those entering a period of school closures did not, on average, improve their financial standing, and that fiscal returns were curbed by enrollment declines brought on by the closures.

    While districts reduced spending after closures, they also saw decreased revenue, resulting in essentially no measurable improvement in their budgetary challenges overall.

    “A common thread we hear from decision-makers around school closures is that, at the end of the day, these moves are necessary for financial reasons,” said Francis Pearman, an assistant professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) and author of the study. “But school closures are complex restructuring tools that don’t always play out in expected ways.”

  • | Getting Down to Facts III

  • | Inc.com

    California’s experiment with local control reveals what happens when organizations grant autonomy without clear standards, ownership, or support.

    A new school year begins for California students this week with fresh data for administrators. Stanford University released an 18-month study of California’s K-12 public school system on May 7, 2026, with contributions from 112 researchers.

    The project, led by Stanford professor Susanna Loeb and titled “Getting Down to Facts,” found that California’s fragmented governance structures leave no single agency clearly in charge of fixing struggling schools. An AI analysis of 7,000 district planning documents found that only 7.9 percent of local goals had a measurable target. 

    The study found administrators spend nearly 20 hours a week on compliance paperwork. Researchers also found that two-thirds of California school districts have gone through at least one superintendent transition since 2019, and school board turnover is climbing too. 

  • | EdSource

    The California State Teachers’ Retirement System nearly doubled its target rate of return on investments for the year ending June 30, placing itself on target for full financial recovery nearly two decades from now, CalSTRS announced Tuesday.

    CalSTRS, the world’s largest pension system for educators, handles the retirement investments for the state’s teachers and administrators. Its 13.9% rate of return for 2025-26 is double the 7% rate of average return that CalSTRS set as its goal, and raises its 10-year rate of return to 9.4%. Its five-year average return was 7.0%, and its 30-year return was 7.8%.

    Investment returns fund the retirement benefits for current and future CalSTRS members, along with contributions from current employees, school districts and the state.

  • | Getting Down to Facts III

    Central Valley Education Leaders Chart Path Forward with Data-Driven Solutions

    The Getting Down to Facts III Central Valley Convening brought together educators, policymakers, and community leaders to tackle the region's most pressing educational challenges. From addressing teacher shortages to improving student outcomes in rural districts, expert presenters shared research-based strategies for strengthening public education. All presentation videos are now available on our YouTube channel, offering valuable insights for anyone committed to improving educational outcomes in California. Watch the full convening to discover actionable solutions for your district or community.

     

  • | Getting Down to Facts III

  • | FutureEd

    Chris Agnew is the managing director of Stanford University’s AI Hub for Education, a part of the SCALE Initiative that translates research on AI in teaching and learning into practical guidance for K-12 education leaders. Since its founding in January 2025, the Hub has built a repository of academic research on AI in education and published “Understanding The Evidence Base on AI in K–12,” which identified key trends in AI research. Agnew also recently co-authored “The Learning Experiences that Matter and AI’s Role” with Stanford colleagues Susanna Loeb and Cristina Barnard Gonzales. FutureEd Policy Analyst Tara Moon recently spoke with Agnew about the fast-changing AI landscape in education.

  • | Stuart Foundation

    On May 11, 2026, researchers, educators, advocates, and state leaders gathered in Sacramento to discuss Getting Down to Facts III, a research initiative designed to inform the next decade of education policy in California. At the convening, Stuart Foundation President Sophie Fanelli sat down with State Board of Education President and Learning Policy Institute Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer Linda Darling-Hammond for a conversation about rethinking learning, engaging students, and expanding opportunity in high schools. Their conversation has been edited for length. You can watch the full recording here. We’ve also added links throughout for further reading.

  • | Stanford Graduate School of Education

    Susanna Loeb has been appointed the inaugural Kissick Family Professor. 

    Loeb is the faculty director of the SCALE Initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which aims to develop and disseminate evidence-driven learning solutions, and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Her research focuses on education policy and its role in improving educational opportunities for students, addressing issues including educator career choices and professional development, school finance and governance, and early childhood systems. She leads the Getting Down to Facts initiatives, which provide nonpartisan research and analysis to inform education policymaking in California.