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...
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...
While the numbers continue to move in the right direction overall, the slower rate of progress in 2024–25 reveals the need for a still more intentional data-informed approach to addressing barriers that keep students from showing up to class. (10/10)
8. While chronic absence is a major challenge across the state, bright spots can be found in every type of locale in California. (9/10)
7. Despite small decreases for most groups, chronic absence remains especially high among particular student groups. (8/10)
6. Chronic absence is highest in kindergarten and in high school, which has potential longer-term effects on learning and graduation rates. (7/10)
5. By percentage, high and extreme chronic absence is more prevalent in secondary schools. (6/10)
4. By count, the largest number of schools (2,350 in total) with high and extreme chronic absence served elementary students. (5/10)
3. Chronic absence is most pervasive in the highest poverty schools, where its consequences are also most severe. (4/10)
2. Nearly half of California schools have high or extreme levels of chronic absence—more than double the prepandemic rate. (3/10)
1. Chronic absence rates remain alarmingly high—far above prepandemic levels—and the rate of decline is slowing. (2/10)
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...
The bottom line: Sustained, capacity-building support and a proactive, systemwide approach are essential for achieving meaningful gains in inclusive education. (6/6)
Four district strategies to advance inclusive education are structural redesign (like master scheduling), leadership modeling, data-driven planning, and cross-role collaboration; state policy actions can reinforce these. (5/6)
(3) SIP participation is linked to faster growth in least restrictive environment (LRE) indicators, outpacing state and national trends, especially in districts with the lowest starting rates. (4/6)
(2) SIP participation resulted in consistently positive shifts in educator beliefs aligned with Universal Design for Learning, an important indicator of sustainability of inclusive education improvements. (3/6)
Findings: (1) SIP’s applied learning experiences, showing examples of inclusive education in action, increased educator knowledge and adoption of inclusive practices. (2/6)
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
Context matters in determining how to scale improvement, and monitoring by district leaders is critical for adaptation and success. (5/5)
District leaders play a key role in setting clear goals, prioritizing improvement work, and reallocating system resources to support that work. (4/5)
Successful scale-up requires embedding improvement work in the structures and processes that make up district systems, repurposing components or creating new structures as necessary. (3/5)
Findings: While teachers and principals are often delegated leadership roles in improvement initiatives, they cannot effectively scale improvements beyond their department or school. (2/5)
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...
(3) Invest in the early childhood workforce, align existing funding streams, and address facility and infrastructure needs to leverage existing investments for greater impact. (4/4)
(2) Expand investments for children ages 0–3, where the need is greatest, to increase availability and improve affordability for families. (3/4)
Recommendations: (1) Simplify governance and strengthen shared accountability across California’s 0–5 early care and education system to make services easier for families to access and navigate. (2/4)
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...
