There is renewed discussion in the Legislature to reduce the voting threshold for passage of parcel taxes to 55 percent from the current two-thirds requirement. This ... Read more May 2013

This infographic prepared by EdSource describes the main elements of Prop. 30 in an accessible, graphical way. January 2013

Basic math concepts acquired before kindergarten are powerful predictors of later learning. This new EdSource report highlights the challenges of integrating math ... Read more December 2012

To help reduce voter confusion on the differences between Props. 30 & 38, EdSource prepared this infographic. November 2012

This report on a new EdSource survey of 315 school districts—representing two-thirds of public school students in California—sheds new light on how the state ... Read more September 2012

This executive summary of an EdSource report, Understanding School Discipline in California: Perceptions and Practice, sheds new light on how the state ... Read more September 2012

The continuing state budget crisis combined with increased flexibility in how school districts use funds has had a dramatic impact on adult education programs in ... Read more June 2012

Executive Summary of a report that looks at the purpose and use of diagnostic assessments in community colleges and the lessons learned from other states. June 2012

Produced in partnership with Learning Works, this report looks at the purpose and use of diagnostic assessments in community colleges. June 2012

This EdSource "Occasional Paper" describes how healthy food advocates transformed San Francisco Unified School District’s approach to food.

This report identifies eight "stress factors" that are threatening the ability of California school districts to provide a quality education to California ... Read more May 2012

Large numbers of students in California’s 112 community colleges are struggling to pass college-level math classes, including courses they need to complete a ... Read more February 2012

The proportion of California 11th graders who have taken math courses they need to be eligible for admissions to the state’s 4-year universities has increased. October 2011

The end of 7th grade provides an important moment to assess how prepared California's students are to succeed in the more advanced math curriculum. September 2011

California’s grim economic environment has hit public summer school programs hard, to the detriment of the most disadvantaged students. August 2011

A PowerPoint presentation that district and school leaders can use to start the conversation about improving Middle Grades performance. August 2011

Dramatic gaps in fundamental math skills exist among California's student populations as early as the 2nd grade and these gaps tend to persist over time. July 2011

Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals, designed to help school leaders identify & implement actionable practices that set higher-performing schools apart. June 2011

The Middle Grades Action Kit centerpiece, including self-assessments and a compendium of actionable practices that set higher-performing schools apart. June 2011

These nine school profiles describe how selected schools from the Gaining Ground study are thinking about, undertaking, and improving their practice. June 2011

These principal and teacher survey tools are designed to help middle grades leaders evaluate practices in their school or district. June 2011

This report reviews teacher evaluation methods and explores the role of state policy in teacher evaluation reform. June 2011

This 2-page policy guide highlights California laws related to teacher evaluation issues. June 2011

This 2-page summary presents key messages regarding algebra placement from the EdSource study Improving Middle Grades Math Performance. May 2011

This Q&A provides clear, accurate answers to common questions about what the state's fiscal crisis means for education funding and California's schools. (Also in ... Read more May 2011

Este Q & A ofrece respuestas claras y precisas a las preguntas más comunes acerca de lo que la crisis fiscal del estado de los medios para financiar la ... Read more May 2011

This report summarizes the community college system's budget in the current year as well as the likely scenario for the upcoming year. March 2011

The most accurate, easy-to-use collection of California education facts anywhere. March 2011

This policy brief is based on an extended analysis of 8th grade mathematics placements in the 303 California schools that participated in our 2010 Gaining Ground in ... Read more February 2011

This free report summarizes the key decisions for K-12 education from the 2010-11 budget.

2011 edition now available for download. This volume contains our most popular publications on school finance and district budgeting. January 2011

This free report examines the financial circumstances of California’s school districts and their actions to cope with the demand to "do more with less." ... Read more December 2010

Based on an EdSource research study, this report explores the community college system’s challenges and opportunities related to developmental education. October 2010

One of a series, this is a free 2-page Q&A on community college for college-bound high school students and their parents. October 2010

One of a series, this is a free 2-page Q&A on options beyond high school for getting a diploma, its equivalency, or further education. October 2010

One of a series, this is a free 2-page Q&A on the University of California system's new admissions policies plus information on how to apply and where to ... Read more October 2010

One of a series, this is a free 2-page Q&A on the California State University system's admissions policies plus information on how to apply and where to ... Read more October 2010

Esta accesible guía de dos páginas está repleta de información, recursos y sugerencias sobre como obtener un diploma, su equivalente o de ... Read more October 2010

Un corto y gratuito informativo con preguntas y respuestas sobre las nuevas políticas de admisión de la Universidad de California (University of ... Read more October 2010

Un corto y gratuito informativo con preguntas y respuestas sobre las universidades comunitarias para los estudiantes de preparatoria que piensan asistir a la ... Read more October 2010

Un corto y gratuito informativo con preguntas y respuestas sobre las políticas de admisión del sistema de la Universidad Estatal de California ... Read more October 2010

This report compares California's education expenditures with those of other states. September 2010

This 20-page report describes the Common Core State Standards Initiative and the issues California may consider in deciding whether to adopt them. June 2010

A 6-page report on the EdSource 2010 Forum held on March 19, 2010. April 2010

This issue brief highlights the comments of California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott and Hal Plotkin, a senior policy advisor in the U.S. Department of ... Read more April 2010

This 22-page report provides a broad overview of the methodology, limitations, and findings of EdSource's large-scale study of 303 middle grades schools in California. February 2010

74 pages February 2010

This 8-page executive summary is excerpted from the Initial Research Report - Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better.  February 2010

21 pages February 2010

13 pages February 2010

53 pages February 2010

18 pages February 2010

1 page
February 2010

This presentation helps explain the Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades study. February 2010

3 pages February 2010

4 pages February 2010

This report describes the 2009-10 education budget, how California got into to such a difficult budget situation, and the challenges schools now face.

This free 2-page report provides the key numbers for K-12 education from the 2009-10 budget. January 2010

This issue brief on community college funding looks at the current enrollment pressures on community colleges and the resources available. January 2010

This report describes California's efforts to implement the multiple pathways approach to high school reform and addresses critical questions about its potential. November 2009

This 20-page report provides an overview of the education components of the federal stimulus package and where California stands in relation to its requirements. October 2009

This publication describes California school districts' current options for raising their own revenues and possible changes that would allow communities to raise more ... Read more September 2009

This publication examines the charter movement in California and its relationship to other public schools from a variety of perspectives, each presented in a separate ... Read more June 2009

This report provides a thorough and balanced look at California's debate about when students should be required to take Algebra I and how to assure that they have a ... Read more May 2009

Two-page executive summary of EdSource's publication Algebra Policy in California: Great Expectations and Serious Challenges. May 2009

This guide explains why it is important for students to learn algebra in high school and what parents can do to support their success. May 2009

Esta guía explica a los padres y a los estudiantes porque los educadores consideran el aprender el álgebra algo tan importante. May 2009

This one-page publication explains the effects of Proposition 98 on California school funding as of 2009. March 2009

Esta guía explica los efectos de la Proposición 98 en la financiamiento de las escuelas en California en 2009. March 2009

This brief explores why the quality of California's new data system depends on the capacity of its school districts to accurately track and report student data. February 2009

EdSource’s annual report on school finance explains the major features of the K–12 education budget and some of the complex political and economic factors ... Read more January 2009

EdSource’s first issue brief on community college funding looks at the current enrollment pressures on community colleges and the resources available. January 2009

This Q&A provides an explanation of California's school finance system and the issues of adequacy and equity. Also available in Spanish. January 2009

Esta guía provee una explicación clara acerca del financiamiento escolar en California y de la suficiencia e igualdad de los recursos. January 2009

A two-page Q&A for high school students about community college as a first step toward a bachelor's degree.  December 2008

Dos páginas de Preguntas y Respuestas para estudiantes de preparatoria, acerca de como la universidad comunitaria puede ser un primer paso para obtener una ... Read more December 2008

Dos páginas de Preguntas y Respuestas para estudiantes de preparatoria acerca de las universidades comunitarias. December 2008

This report looks at how K-12 and community college educators can work together to better prepare high school students for the transition to community college. November 2008

A two-page summary of report highlights including links to sources for more in-depth information. November 2008

This report discusses the current status of California’s education data system, including CALPADS and CALTIDES. October 2008

A look at key education indicators for California and the U.S. September 2008

Do charter schools perform better than traditional public schools? Our fourth annual analysis of California's charter schools revisits this question. 

A summary of our fourth annual charter school performance report. June 2008

This report looks at how California's African American students are doing academically. May 2008

This 2-page summary of the 2008 report highlights state-level trends and diverse local outcomes in African American student achievement in California. May 2008

This report explores some of the factors that explain why the NAEP and CST tests yield different but valuable portraits of student achievement. May 2008

More than 10% of California’s public high school students attend some kind of alternative program. May 2008

A look at California's English learners - their distribution, grades, languages and more. March 2008

This report looks at current projections for California's workforce needs in serveral important science, technology, engineering, and math fields. January 2008

This summary highlights the education requirements of some of the state's fastest-growing occupations and looks at math and science performance and enrollment data for ... Read more January 2008

This brief looks at the challenges involved in recruiting and retaining fully prepared math and science teachers. January 2008

This guide discusses what students need to do today to prepare for tomorrow's jobs. January 2008

Esta guía describe cómo los estudiantes pueden aprender matemáticas y ciencias hoy, para que estén preparados para los empleos de ... Read more January 2008

This report offers a comprehensive look at lawmakers’ funding decisions for schools this year and the impact those decisions may have on future budgets. December 2007

This brief provides a quick look at funding for California schools in 2007-08. December 2007

This publication lists the major state and federal categorical programs, and funding amounts, in the 2007-08 California State Budget. December 2007

This report provides a profile of California's principals and superintendents, their basic responsibilities and the credentialing requirements, and how they receive ... Read more November 2007

This report summarizes a research analysis examining which instructional practices had a positive relationship with the achievement of low-income, English learner ... Read more September 2007

This parent guide (in English and Spanish) discusses some instructional practices that work well for all elementary school students, in particular, English learners. September 2007

Esta guía contiene preguntas que los padres pueden hacer al maestro y al director de su escuela para entender cual es el enfoque en la enseñanza. September 2007

This is the 2007 analysis of charter school performance. June 2007

This brief presents the major findings from EdSource's May 2007 investigation of how California's charter schools are performing.

This update focuses on current policy issues, which concern charter school facilities, financial impacts, and governance. June 2007

This report explores three leverage points related to high school curriculum. 

This 2-page summary highlights three levers that state policymakers and local schools can use to strengthen high school curriculum. May 2007

This  brief looks at how well California’s high school students are meeting the state’s high academic standards in math. May 2007

This report summarizes findings from a study of financial management in California school districts. April 2007

This report looks at the history of the state's interventions programs.

This brief explains the selection and funding processes for QEIA, California's K-12 intervention program. February 2007

This guide provides a handy reference to help you understand state and federal accountability program terminology. February 2007

This report looks at how school district revenues and expenditures in California have changed.  

This Q&A discusses budget pressures facing school districts, the role of collective bargaining, and how the public can influence local school budget decisions. November 2006

Esta guía discute las presiones presupuestales que enfrentan los distritos escolares, y los papeles del público y de la negociación colectiva en las ... Read more November 2006

This report offers a comprehensive look at this year’s funding decisions for schools, recent budget history, and how the state’s schools are funded. October 2006

This summary highlights the increases and explains where money is going for the 2006-07 school year. October 2006

This 2006 election brief describes the provisions of Proposition 1D. September 2006

This study surveyed principals and teachers in 257 schools and learned that socioeconomic factors are not the sole predictor of academic performance. June 2006

This is the 2006 report on how California's charter schools are performing. May 2006

This brief presents the major findings from EdSource’s May 2006 investigation of how California’s charter schools are performing. May 2006

Esta guía describe métodos para obtener un diploma de la escuela preparatoria, su equivalente o educación superior adicional. April 2006

This guide helps parents and students evaluate career technical programs available after high school. April 2006

Esta guía describe alternativas para los estudiantes de la escuela preparatoria que no quieren seguir una carrera universitaria de cuatro años. April 2006

This report describes the history and status of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and addresses its key issues. February 2006

This annual rankings report includes numerous charts and graphs that detail the state’s standing nationally. November 2005

Two years before the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) became law, California passed its own Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA). August 2005

This guide explains the financial oversight of districts and how community members can get involved. August 2005

Esta guía explica la supervisión financiera de los distritos y la manera en que los miembros de la comunidad pueden participar. August 2005

Loaded with tables and graphs, this report looks at California high school performance measures. June 2005

This guide describes the measures state officials use to evaluate schools and school districts, explaining what they are and what they indicate. June 2005

Esta guía describe las medidas que los funcionarios estatales usan para evaluar a las escuelas y a los distritos. June 2005

This brief provides basic background on how career and technical education is changing and its current status and scope in California. June 2005

Report from EdSource's 2005 Forum, Shaking up the Status Quo: the Movement to Transform High School. May 2005

This report discusses the complex nature of comparing charter and noncharter schools. May 2005

This Q&A describes starting a charter school, how charter schools are funded and regulated, facility issues, and differences of charters and traditional schools. May 2005

Esta guía discute las escuelas charter: su formación, las formas de financiamiento, asuntos sobre las instalaciones, y más.   May 2005

This set of four Q&As provides comprehensive information for college-bound high school students and their parents. April 2005

Esta guía proporciona información exhaustiva para los estudiantes de la escuela preparatoria que irán a la Universidad, y para sus padres. April 2005

This publication describes the community college system's mission, programs, and students. March 2005

This summary highlights the difficulties inherent in raising expectations for the state's community colleges. March 2005

This report provides an overview of the mechanics of the budget process and the documents most commonly used to describe a district’s financial condition. January 2005

This brief clarifies what is included in per-pupil education revenues and expenditures and how they differ. November 2004

This report provides an overview of where charter schools stand today in California. June 2004

This report sets out possible goals for a school finance system that could better support California's high expectations for student performance.Read more May 2004

This publication highlights details of this reform and how it relates to broader concepts of funding adequacy and decentralization. May 2004

This publication summarizes comments from experts who spoke at EdSource's 2004 Annual Forum. April 2004

Este reporte resume una discusión de panel acerca de las maneras de crear voluntad política y pública para cambiar el sistema financiero escolar. April 2004

This  report examines how California's middle grade students are performing against state standards-particularly in algebra. March 2004

This parent guide describes California's mathematics standards and the reasoning behind them. March 2004

Esta guía de padres describe las normas de matemáticas en California y el razonamiento que las respalda. March 2004

This report details the amount of money available for California K-12 public education and how it was allocated for 2003-04. It also provides perspective on how ... Read more November 2003

This summary of EdSource's report, School Finance 2003–04: State Budget Woes Reverberate Through K–12 Education, highlights the ... Read more November 2003

This Evaluation Brief summarizes the main findings and implications of the legislatively mandated, independent evaluation of the Public School Accountability Act. September 2003

This report, based on the National Education Association's Rankings and Estimates, 2002–03, ... Read more August 2003

This Q&A explains the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and explores the state's decision to postpone the requirement to pass the exam. Also available in ... Read more August 2003

This Q&A explains the STAR program and discusses its impact on schools and students. August 2003

Esta guía de preguntas y respuestas no solamente explica el CAHSEE sino que también discute los pros y los contras de los exámenes de alto riesgo. August 2003

Esta publicación de dos páginas explica el programa STAR y discute su impacto sobre las escuelas y los estudiantes. August 2003

This publication provides a comprehensive profile of California’s original Decile 1 and 2 schools, as ranked on the Academic Performance Index. The report ... Read more February 2003

This brief summarizes the February 2003 EdSource report, California's Lowest Performing Schools: who they are, the challenges they face, and how ... Read more February 2003

This report details how much funding K–12 education was expected to receive overall for 2002–03, how those funds were to be allocated by the state, and ... Read more November 2002

This issue brief highlights the funding that K–12 education received overall for 2002–03, including funds from the then-new federal No Child Left Behind Act. ... Read more November 2002

This special version of the executive summary for the four-year study of class size reduction in California by the CSR Consortium contains additional graphs and ... Read more October 2002

This report summarizes California's standards-based reform efforts through 2002 and looks at what was in store, including possible impacts of the federal No Child Left ... Read more October 2002

This report, filled with charts and graphs, examines how California compares with other states in education spending, teacher salaries, and student-teacher ratio at the ... Read more September 2002

Proposition 49, passed in November 2002, greatly increased and made permanent California’s financial commitment to before- and after-school programs for students ... Read more September 2002

La proposición 49 (de 2002) aumenta y hace permanente el compromiso financiero de California hacia los programas de antes y después de escuela. September 2002

How well is California doing? Using data and graphs, this 20-page report, written in 2002, zeros in on student achievement in areas such as English language arts and ... Read more June 2002

This issue brief explores the use of longitudinally linked data and how such a system would benefit California. May 2002

This guide is a companion piece to our report on out-of-school Programs. It offers resources for evaluating, developing, and funding these programs. May 2002

This issue brief on the work of the state's Joint Master Plan Committee describes the committee's original recommendations and the process for public input about the ... Read more April 2002

This report covers the issues and state policies regarding citizenship education. April 2002

This 24-page report, published in 2002, examines the focus on out-of-school programs as a way to help improve California students' academic achievement. It also looks at ... Read more February 2002

This 2001 fact sheet looks at where education dollars go. October 2001

This October 2001 report, filled with charts and graphs, examines how California compares with other states in such things as education spending, teacher salaries, and ... Read more October 2001

This June 2001 report examines California's high-stakes testing, including an analysis of high-stakes testing by researchers and a debate on its pros and cons. June 2001

This brief, published in June 2001, looks at CSIS (California School Information Services Program), which was created to assemble, summarize, and safely transmit ... Read more June 2001

This report discusses the responses of more than 600 middle and high school principals to a December 2000 EdSource survey on the progress they are making toward adopting ... Read more May 2001

This report summarizes the findings of a January 2001 EdSource survey of California high school and middle school principals. May 2001

This report describes the changing nature of responsibilities for principals and superintendents, the possible causes for decreasing numbers of applicants for these key ... Read more March 2001

This report summarizes California's efforts to address the challenges of teacher supply and quality that are key to the state's school reform efforts.  March 2001

This guide provides impartial, factual answers to frequently asked questions about the exam. February 2001

This report with multiple graphs analyzes the results of the STAR testing program in 2000. Despite overall positive results, the scores reveal facts that demand ... Read more November 2000

This explanation of the state's complex testing system gives a deeper understanding of the meaning and usefulness of STAR results. November 2000

This brief analyzes the results of the October 2000 API (Academic Performance Index) listing and growth statistics for California's K–12 public schools. October 2000

Our annual update of the state's education budget and key legislative decisions for the 2000–01 school year examines funding plans for assessment and ... Read more October 2000

This publication summarizes the in-depth report, School Finance 2000–01. See our main catalog of publications for an ... Read more October 2000

Proposition 39 reduced from two-thirds to 55% the vote school districts and community colleges need to authorize local general obligation bonds for school construction. ... Read more September 2000

Had voters passed it, Proposition 38 would have provided tax-free scholarships (vouchers) for private school tuition to the parents of all California K–12 ... Read more September 2000

Updated materials about the STAR program can be found in our main catalog of publications. This guide on California's STAR program remains in our ... Read more September 2000

This brief is a review one year after adoption of the state’s accountability act (PSAA) and its three major components: the Academic Performance Index (API); the ... Read more May 2000

Read how California’s accountability policies in the year 2000 stacked up against those in other states in this summary of the proceedings at the 23rd annual ... Read more May 2000

Would additional funding help California's schools improve student achievement? Just how much funding would be adequate—and where would it best be spent—for ... Read more April 2000

This is an executive summary of our in-depth report, published in April 2000, on school funding adequacy in California. April 2000

This eight-page report, which focuses on 1997–98 statistics, includes state-by-state data on expenditures, teacher salaries, sources of school revenue, and ... Read more March 2000

This booklet from 2000 describes how California's education funding system works. For the most updated information, see our school finance ... Read more February 2000

This report looks at the nuts and bolts of the Academic Performance Index (API) ranking system as well as the potential promise and pitfalls of classifying schools in ... Read more January 2000

This publication looks at trends in voter approval of local general obligation bond measures. January 2000

This November 1999 publication provides an explanation of the new laws that govern charter schools. November 1999

This data-rich report explores some intriguing information and questions revealed by the 1999 results of California's standardized testing program, STAR. The report ... Read more October 1999

This September 1999 overview of the 1999 accountability law and regulations includes an explanation of the Academic Performance Index (API) as well as the intervention ... Read more September 1999

This June 1999 report offers an extensive examination of the challenges facing high schools in California. June 1999

This April 1999 report looks at how teacher evaluation and professional development can improve teacher quality. April 1999

All California school districts negotiate contracts with their employees in a process that ranges from adversarial to cooperative. This report examines this system. March 1999

This report summarizes EdSource's spring 1998 conference on accountability, focusing on what several prominent education experts and school district superintendents ... Read more June 1998

Finding space for the growing student population presented an enormous challenge. This report explains the dimensions of the problem. April 1998

Based on survey results from a selected group of principals, this report tells how they spend their time versus how they would like to, and what they need to be more ... Read more March 1998

This data-rich report explores some intriguing information and questions revealed by the 1999 results of California's standardized testing program, STAR. The report ... Read more

Proposition 47, passed in 2002, provided general obligation bonds for construction and modernization of education facilities. In preparation for the vote, EdSource ... Read more