PPIC describes major shifts in education over 30 years Declining enrollment and a fundamental change in how school districts receive funding are some of the major shifts in California education over the last 30 years, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

In a Sept. 13 blog post celebrating the nonprofit think-tank’s 30th anniversary, authors illustrate how the education landscape has changed since 1994-95 through data and interactive charts.

Back then, California had roughly 5.3 million public school students. That number peaked at 6.3 million students in 2006-07. Today, there are 5.8 million students and enrollment is projected to fall to 1994 levels by 2031. The authors also note demographic shifts in the composition of California’s students. Fewer students now enter school needing dual language instruction (1.4 million students then compared to 1.1. million now).

For most of the last 30 years, California school spending was below the national average, with observable dips following recession periods. Today, California outspends the national average, however it still lags behind two of the most populous states (New York and Illinois) and one west coast state (Washington). In 2013, the Local Control Funding Formula was implemented, targeting a greater share of state funds to higher-need students and giving districts more authority to create programs that distribute those resources.

The authors also note how the pandemic eroded away progress made since the 1990s on standardized test scores, particularly in math. From 1992 to 2019, fourth-grade math scores jumped from 12 percent to 34 percent; however in 2022, math scores dropped to 30 percent, putting 4th grade proficiency back to 2009 levels.

“California’s public schools have weathered many changes over the past few decades, and they will be grappling with some real challenges in the coming years — including ongoing learning recovery, rising pension and benefit costs, updating school facilities, ensuring digital access, and potential school closures due to declining enrollment,” the authors write.

Read the full post at www.ppic.org/blog/how-has-californias-k-12-education-landscape-changed-over-the-past-thirty-years.

NCTQ: Time to reimagine teaching A new interactive resource from the National Council on Teacher Quality calls into question the efficacy of the traditional classroom model, underscoring how it isn’t structured to help teachers succeed. The resource, Reimagining the Teaching Role: How Strategic Staffing Can Attract and Retain Effective Teachers, illustrates how more modern teacher staffing strategies like team teaching and creating new teacher-leadership roles can improve teacher retention, alleviate hiring challenges and ultimately give more students access to high-quality teachers. The new NCTQ resource highlights how state policies have the potential to either help or hinder a district’s ability to implement a better approach to staffing classrooms. While the analysis found that state policy is not a barrier in many cases, there are four key policy areas where states can do more to support innovations: class size, teachers as observers, team outcomes and restrictions on the use of support staff and time. Reimagining the teaching role offers a bold solution through innovative strategic staffing structures that make the profession more attractive and sustainable for teachers ­— and can ultimately boost student learning outcomes. Access the resource at reimagineteaching.nctq.org. Show Up and Shine

Oceanside Unified School District rolled out the red carpet for students recently at “Show Up and Shine” events that celebrate school attendance.

As part of the district’s Beloved Community continuous attendance improvement campaign, the district launched this new event series at every elementary school. These events were designed to make students feel celebrated for attending school and reinforce the message that “We want you here every day!”

Students received a red carpet welcome, enjoyed lively music, bubble machines, and high fives, all in a positive, high-energy environment that encourages attendance. Messages like “You never know what you’re missing!” remind students of the value of being present at school.