High Hopes, Few Opportunities (Summary Report & Recommendations): The Status of Elementary Science Education in California
This report, prepared by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, summarizes extensive new research examining science education in California’s classrooms, schools, and school districts. A key finding? Students have little access to high-quality science education.
This finding, and others, are based on:
- The results of research surveys of California elementary and middle school teachers, principals, and school district leaders
- An analysis of secondary data on students and teachers
- Case studies of science education efforts in California schools conducted in 2010 and 2011
The report reveals that intense pressure to meet accountability goals in mathematics and English has limited time for science, and teachers. Furthermore, schools do not have the infrastructure support needed to consistently provide students with quality science learning opportunities.
Among the findings:
- Forty percent of elementary teachers say they spend 60 minutes or less teaching science each week
- Only one third of elementary teachers say they feel prepared to teach science
- Eighty-five percent of teachers say they have not received any professional development in science during the last three years
- 9 in 10 principals say science education is very important and should start early
- Less than half of principals (44%) believe it is likely that a student would receive high-quality science instruction in his or her school
Despite the discouraging findings, science education in California’s elementary school classrooms can be greatly improved. Educators and policymakers can find out how they can do their part by reading this report.
Also included are results from previous public opinion research: A Priority for California’s Future: Science for Students found that Californians believe high-quality science education should be a top priority for the state’s schools.
In addition to this summary report, download the full report.
California State Special Education Funding System Study, Part 2: Findings, Implications, and Considerations for Improving Special Education Funding in California
WestEd Study of California’s State Special Education Funding System Points to Need for Improvements that Realign Funding to the Needs of Students with Disabilities
Each year, funds from federal, state, and local sources are directed to provide special education and related services to nearly 725,000 students with disabilities in California. To increase equitable outcomes for these students, who comprise nearly 12 percent of California’s K–12 population, state-decision-makers agree that more research and evidence-based policy recommendations are needed to improve California’s system for special education funding.
To help inform state-level decision-making regarding the allocation, distribution, and spending expectations for state special education dollars, WestEd conducted a comprehensive descriptive review of the current funding system (Part 1).
Part 2, detailed in this report, examines comprehensive amounts of statewide student-level data from the 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19 school years. The independent, objective study leverages proven research methods in school finance that surface findings with implications for improving the state’s special education funding system to respond to the needs of the state’s growing population of students with disabilities.
This multi-stage, quantitative study of California’s state special education funding system culminates with findings and considerations for improvement that are presented according to the following priority areas:
- Ensuring funds reach students with the greatest need
- Prioritizing appropriate early intervention and identification
- Promoting inclusive planning, coordination, and practice
Download the Executive Summary.
Find the first report from the study at WestEd.org/ca-special-education-funding-system-study.
S2E8: What You Need To Know About California’s New Equity Multiplier–and Related School Accountability System Changes
Download this episode’s companion brief: Equity Multiplier.
Show Notes
The Equity Multiplier—a new $300 million component of California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)—is rolling out this school year. Guests Natalie Wheatfall-Lum and Sara Pietrowski join host Jason Willis to describe how the Equity Multiplier works, how it came about, and related changes to the state’s accountability system, including what districts must now report in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).
They delve into the broader policy issues and implications of targeting LCFF funds directly to the school sites whose student populations generate them, helping local education agencies better identify and address all their students’ needs. They also discuss the importance of focusing on Black student achievement in particular.
The Equity Multiplier is one piece of a larger set of changes to California’s accountability system enacted as part of the 2023-24 state budget. Eligibility for the additional funding is based on two indicators at school sites: prior year non-stability rates of greater than 25 percent and prior year socioeconomically disadvantaged pupil rates greater than 70 percent. Like LCFF, the funds flow from the state to school districts or other local education agencies; however, in a shift from LCFF, Equity Multiplier funds must be used at the school sites that generate them.
About Our Guests
Natalie Wheatfall-Lum, J.D., serves as Director of TK-12 Policy at The Education Trust-West. Since 2014, she has supported the organization’s policy research, analysis, and position development, primarily in K-12 equitable funding and accountability. Before working in education policy, Natalie practiced law, gaining experience in various civil rights issues, including LGBTQ equal rights, fair housing, and immigration.
Sara Pietrowski serves as Policy Director for the California State Board of Education, where she has supported the board’s work of developing an accountability and continuous improvement system for more than six years, including the LCAP, California School Dashboard, and Statewide System of Support. She previously served in the Sacramento City Unified School District, where she led the district’s data dashboard development and coordinated LCAP and improvement science efforts.
About Our Host
Jason Willis serves as WestEd’s Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation. He is a former chief business official in several California school districts.
Related Resources
- Equity Multiplier page, CDE website and 2023-24 First Principal Apportionment of EM funds
- Supporting the African-American Learner: Guide for Transforming Beliefs, Systems and Practices for Black Students
- Evaluation of California’s Differentiated Assistance, WestEd
- More To Be Done: California’s LCFF After A Decade, Education Trust-West
Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by CASBO and WestEd. The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provides research and develop the written briefs that go along with each episode.
Enhancing Infant and Toddler Care through Reflective Practice, Part II
Learn about California’s resources to enhance infant and toddler learning and development in this second webinar in the Enhancing Infant and Toddler Care Through Reflective Practice series.
Presenters from both the California Department of Education’s Child Development Division Quality Improvement Office and WestEd’s Center for Child and Family Studies (CCFS) discuss:
- California’s Early Learning and Development System
- Introduction to Reflective Curriculum Planning Process Using California’s Resources
- Spotlight on California’s Desired Result Development Profile
Other Webinars in the Series
Securing and Protecting Education Funding in California
California and the rest of the country are enduring a pandemic-induced economic recession, and school and district leaders are bracing for the fallout. Funding for California schools had improved rapidly between 2013 and 2019, with districts spending roughly $13,100 per pupil in 2018–19 as compared with $9,680 only 6 years earlier. However, that level of funding still fell short of what would have been adequate given California’s goals as a state, the student population it serves, and its cost of living.
Schools and districts now face three major challenges: precipitous declines in student achievement and social-emotional well-being due to COVID-19; increased costs associated with distance learning and school reconfiguration to comply with public health orders; and the need to tighten budgets.5 Securing and protecting the funding necessary to address student needs and meet state goals will require an enormous and sustained effort from many stakeholders.
The new report Securing and Protecting Education Funding in California produced by Policy Analysis of California Education (PACE) examines how California might secure and protect revenues for schools in sustainable and responsible ways over both the short and long terms. It discusses why California needs adequate education funding, how California’s schools are currently financed, and how that structure affects schools during good and bad fiscal times. It then draws upon research as well as perspectives from policymakers, advocates, and education and tax policy experts to offer recommendations.
Read the policy brief and listen to the related “Adventures in Ed Funding” podcast episode, produced by the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO).
Retirement Patterns of California Prekindergarten-Grade 12 Educators
How have the recent economic recession and the aging of the baby boomer population affected retirement rates in California’s public school system?
This Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) study examines the retirement patterns of California’s preK-12 certificated educators — including teachers, speech therapists, and school administrators — and provides useful workforce data for education leaders in the state.
The authors based their study on more than a decade of data from the California State Teacher’s Retirement System, district-level financial data from the California Department of Education, and annual county-level unemployment rates from the California Employment Development Department.
Some key findings:
- The percentage of educators over age 60 doubled between the 1995/96 and 2009/10 school years
- The percentage of educators working in the California public school system after retirement increased steadily, from 3 percent in the 1995/96 school year to more than 11 percent in the 2007/08–2009/10 school years
- On average, a $1,000 reduction in a district’s “other local revenue” per student was associated with approximately a 4 percent higher probability of educators retiring
A short summary of the report is also available.
Please visit REL West for more information on REL West. Information about the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) system and other REL publications can be found at the national Regional Educational Laboratory Program.
California Special Education Funding System Study, Part 1: A Descriptive Analysis of Special Education Funding in California
More than 725,000, nearly 12 percent, of California’s public school students receive special education and related services. Although more than half of those students spend 80 percent or more of the school day in a general education classroom, California’s special education funding system may not be as inclusive as California’s classrooms.
This report provides a history and detailed description of California’s special education funding system, setting the foundation for refinement of the current system through exploration of other funding systems and examination of California’s special education population and funding structure.
This study focuses on how current levels of funding can be used most effectively, including through better coordination and by differentiating special education funding to match the wide variety in student need and cost of implementing IEPs for students with disabilities.
This study will be followed with a report on potential options to refine the system, supported by research, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each option.
Download the Executive Summary.
Find the second report from the study at WestEd.org/ca-special-education-funding-system-study.
Building Strategic Policymaking Capacity: A CA Analysis for Learning & Engagement (CALE) Collection
A collection of resources developed by the CA Analysis for Learning & Engagement (CALE) project
This resource collection provides education leaders with an in-depth analysis of key policy issues related to teachers and teaching. Designed to inform California education leaders about new research findings on state policy topics, you’ll find perspectives related to professional learning, instructional materials, tools to inform decisions, and more.
Knowledge Briefs
What California Math Teachers Are Saying About Instruction and Professional Learning Today
What California Teachers Are Saying About Their Instructional Materials For English Learner Students
Strong Professional Learning Systems for Math Instruction in California: What Do We Know Today?
Improving California’s Teacher Data System to Better Inform Decisions
Expanding California Districts’ Curriculum-Focused Professional Learning
Videos: CALE Voices from the Field
CORE President Robert Sheffield on California’s new math framework – Part 1, 2, 3 (November 2021)
Looking Ahead with CDE’s Stephanie Gregson (May 2021)
The Tehama County Department of Education Story (December 2020)
The Placer County Office of Education Story (January 2021)
UCLA’s Dr. Kai Mathews on Using New Funds to Prioritize Educator Diversity in California – Part 1, 2, 3
View the full series of knowledge briefs and watch related videos at Building Strategic Policymaking Capacity: A CALE Collection
Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative 2008/09 Annual Report: Report to the Legislature, the Governor, and the Director of Finance
The Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative 2008/09 Annual Report, prepared by the California Community Colleges, the California Department of Education, and WestEd, shows how California’s community colleges, the largest higher education system in the country, are making progress in helping its students meet California’s workforce needs.
The report provides a snapshot of findings derived from a statewide evaluation of the Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative, with a focus on the period from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.
It also summarizes work completed by program areas and offers recommendations for improving career technical education in California.
Follow the CTE Central Blog.
Evaluation of California’s Differentiated Assistance
A keystone of California’s new education accountability and support system is the provision of Differentiated Assistance (DA): technical assistance provided to local education agencies that the state has identified for underperformance.
To understand the impact of DA on student performance, the state legislature selected WestEd to evaluate the system. WestEd’s findings indicate that Differentiated Assistance positively impacts student outcomes, including for student groups experiencing the lowest outcomes. A triangulation of data across different sources for this evaluation indicates that DA has room for improvement, particularly in some districts and counties, but system leaders broadly support it.
Download the report to explore the evaluation in-depth and the recommendations for the state to further refine and improve DA based on lessons learned from the first years of implementation.
Addendum to the Evaluation of California’s Differentiated Assistance
This 2023 addendum shares system leaders’ and other education partners’ perspectives on the original evaluation report’s recommendations and highlights key insights that surfaced.