A decline in seventh-grade self-efficacy doesn't mean a school's SEL program is failing—it may just mean a student is navigating middle school. Yang Caroline Wang presented this finding at the 2026 EA Staff Conference, drawing on the CORE Districts' large-scale (1/3)

California has enacted one of the most significant education governance reforms in state history. The 2026–27 state budget reflects three central recommendations from PACE's report TK–12 Education Governance in California: Past, Present, and Future. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/pac... (1/5)

A new PACE commentary presents findings that dual language immersion (DLI) improves outcomes for English learners and supports California’s goals to expand multilingual education. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/dua... (1/5)

New PACE commentary by Yang Caroline Wang of Education Analytics explores the connection between academic recovery, chronic absenteeism, and social-emotional learning. SEL are strongly linked to school attendance—now more than before the pandemic. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/wha... (1/4)

New from @edpolicyinca.org: Subtraction and Substitution report documents shifts in high school math coursetaking in California and the corresponding brief explores the role of schools in ensuring students have access to the most advanced math coursework. edpolicyinca.org/publications #EDUSky

THURSDAY 4/30: PACE is excited to co-host Our Future, Our Voice: A Youth-Led Gubernatorial Forum on April 30, 2026, 5:30pm at the Fresno Convention Center with California PTA (CAPTA) and Youth Leadership Institute (yli). (1/3) edpolicyinca.org/events/our-f...

PACE is hiring! We’re seeking a dynamic, strategic, and collaborative research associate to support district partnerships while advancing education policy and systems change in PK–12 education across CA. Learn more and apply today! edpolicyinca.org/careers/educ... @stanfordeducation.bsky.social

Join us on April 15 at #TMO26 for a deep-dive session about how #dualenrollment #mathematics can improve postsecondary outcomes. This session is cosponsored by Career Ladders Project, EdTrust-West, and @edpolicyinca.org. Register now: bit.ly/tmo-2026-register #EDUSky #MathEducation #HigherEd

A new PACE policy brief by Kevin A. Gee, S. Colby Woods, and Michael A. Gottfried examines the effects of transitioning into and out of foster care on students’ school absences and the discipline they received in 4 California school districts. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/5)

New report from PACE by Diana Mercado-Garcia, Amy Gerstein, Laurel Sipes, Sebastian Castrechini, and Guillermo Solano-Flores examines how California’s complex reclassification system creates barriers for students exiting English learner status. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/5)

New PACE brief by Alexandria Hurtt, Sherrie Reed, & Casey Duyan presents a case study of @ucdavis.bsky.social’s role as a Regional K–16 Education Collaborative partner in three California regions, considering critical components of intersegmental partnerships. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/3)

PACE Faculty Director Michal Kurlaender on expanding access and support to increase students completing A–G courses required for UC and CSU admission: “A certain bar of reading, writing and mathematical ability is good no matter what career field you go into.” www.sfchronicle.com/college-admi...

Are California students ready for UC admissions? Here’s how every public high school scores

Bay Area counties have higher completion rates for UC and CSU admissions requirements than the rest of California. Here’s where every public high school stands.

sfchronicle.com

PACE's @agallagheredpolicy.bsky.social: “You could launch a very high quality study at a tiny percentage of total funding for CA's TK program, that would help people figure out what we are actually offering our families, and how to improve it—that seems really important.” laist.com/news/educati...

California invested billions into a new grade for 4-year-olds — without a plan to evaluate it

Experts say California isn't studying its own transitional kindergarten program, despite research that has shown a public preschool program doesn’t guarantee better outcomes.

laist.com

NEW PACE infographic by Hedy Chang of Attendance Works and Belen Chavez at PACE examines trends in California chronic absence through 2024–25. Eight key facts are a call to action for sustained and increased attention to student attendance and engagement. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/10)

TODAY 2/24 | PACE Webinar | 1:30–2:30 PT | How California reclassifies English Learners—and why it matters. Featuring Diana Mercado-Garcia @CAEdPartners.bsky.social, Molly Faulkner-Bond @WestEd.org, and Ilana Umansky @UOEducation.bsky.social. Registration still free, open now! bit.ly/pace-ca-el-w...

New PACE brief by Tye Ripma and Andrew Wall summarizes evaluation results from California’s Supporting Innovative Practices (SIP), aimed at advancing inclusive education for students with disabilities. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/6)

PACE is proud to cosponsor “Advancing in Math Through Dual Enrollment” at @justequations.bsky.social’s Annual Conference on April 15. This free, virtual session explores how dual enrollment in math expands college access, strengthens STEM pathways for underserved students. bit.ly/tmo-2026-register

New PACE brief by researchers Alix Gallagher, Leah Faw, and Benjamin Cottingham, examines the critical role of engaging district systems in successfully scaling up instructional improvement initiatives based on examples drawn from CA school districts. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/5)

NEW PACE Webinar | Tue Feb 24, 1:30–2:30 PT: How California reclassifies English Learners—and why it matters. Featuring Diana Mercado-Garcia @CAEdPartners.bsky.social, Molly Faulkner-Bond @WestEd.org, and Ilana Umansky @UOEducation.bsky.social. Registration free, open now! bit.ly/pace-ca-el-w...

New commentary from PACE calls for strengthening the implementation and coordination of California’s early childhood programs to ensure that families are able to effectively access support they need to raise their young children. (1/4) edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/mak...

All of us here are celebrating PACE Faculty Director and UCLA Ed&IS @uclaseis.bsky.social Professor and Department Chair Cecilia Rios-Aguilar on her election to the National Academy of Education @naeducation.bsky.social—hearty, heartfelt congratulations to Cecilia! seis.ucla.edu/news/cecilia...

Cecilia Rios-Aguilar Elected to National Academy of Education  - UCLA School of Education & Information Studies

UCLA Education Department Chair is one of 19 distinguished education scholars and leaders elected to academy membership in 2026 in […]

seis.ucla.edu

PACE Faculty Director Cecilia Rios-Aguilar on how community college BA degree systems were built for another era: “Each system was supposed to accomplish something—things have changed drastically labor-market-wise, ecosystem-wise.” Equal access matters. dailybruin.com/2026/01/16/s...

Some community college bachelor's programs face pushback from UC, CSU - Daily Bruin

Lisa Roebbelen said the best years of her life were spent learning to care for the dead. “The combination of science, and art, and anatomy, compassion, and ethics and service … having it all together ...

dailybruin.com

Newsom moves to reshape who runs California's schools under budget plan

Newsom moves to reshape who runs California’s schools under budget plan

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes unifying the policymaking State Board of Education with the California Department of Education, a move he said would better align education efforts.

latimes.com

This is *huge* news for CA - Newsom endorses many of the proposed education governance changes called for in recent @edpolicyinca.org research. Could California's crazy quilt of governance finally be tamed?? edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/pre...

@governor.ca.gov Gavin Newsom proposes to update California’s education governance in line with PACE recommendations from the report TK-12 Education Governance in California: Past, Present, and Future. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/pre... (1/3)

A new PACE brief explains California’s statewide implementation of a policy requiring annual screening for reading difficulties risk for all K–2 students. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/5)

High schools bullying is up, attendance down as ICE raids sow 'climate of distress,' study says

High schools bullying is up, attendance down as ICE raids sow ‘climate of distress,' study says

A new survey of public high school principals across the U.S. found widespread, heightened distress among students from immigrant families amid ICE raids.

latimes.com

After years of accountability battles, it’s time to try something smarter. In the latest piece for #PhoenixRising, Heather J. Hough (@edpolicyinca.org) calls for reciprocal accountability—shared responsibility, tailored support, & aligned goals at every level of the system. bit.ly/48Ds0C6

A Truce in the Accountability Wars – Center on Reinventing Public Education

In American education, the scars of the “accountability wars” still run deep. More than two decades after the federal No Child Left Behind Act established punitive, high-profile accountability require...

bit.ly

PACE Executive Faculty Director Julie Marsh warns that the loss of federal data and research poses “a serious threat to informed education policymaking”—at the same time as civil rights backlogs “increase exponentially” and families have fewer places to turn. publications.csba.org/issue/fall-2...

US Department of Education under threat

President Donald Trump has revived a longstanding Republican Party call to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. While the Cabinet-level department needs an act of Congress to be eliminated, the T...

publications.csba.org

A new PACE report identifies opportunities to strengthen TK–12 education governance in California amid a diminishing federal role in education. edpolicyinca.org/publications... (1/10)