K-12 Education

California school districts could be on the hook for about $3 billion in liability for child sexual abuse lawsuits. Up to 40% may go to trial attorneys.

In 2019, the Legislature and Gov. Newsom closed a loophole that allowed schools to avoid liability for child sexual abuse. Now the law is under threat.

One reason: Higher-income, high-achieving kids often aren't in the testing pool. They attend private schools or their parents opt them out of state tests.

A UCSD faculty study says 1 in 8 students arrive at college behind in math or another skill. But they shouldn’t be ‘sorted out’ of their chance at college.

Gov. Gavin Newsom dropped a brief and vaguely worded section into his State of the State address earlier this month, suggesting an overhaul of how California’s vast public education system is managed. “It’s long overdue that we modernize the management of our educational system,” Newsom said, “and so in the budget I’ll be submitting tomorrow, […]

Gavin Newsom’s boast about per-pupil spending in a recent speech exemplifies the Capitol’s focus on money in its education debates, rather than results.

UC-San Diego reports declines in freshman math skills despite rising grades in K-12 schools. Teachers say they're pressured to inflate grades.

Newsom proposed shifting oversight of the Department of Education from the superintendent to the State Board of Education. The move would concentrate more power over K-12 schools with the governor, who appoints the school board.

The move is intended to simplify California’s convoluted education governance, which policy analysts have said can be inefficient, redundant and sometimes at cross purposes.

By basing funding on enrollment, not attendance numbers, schools would lose the incentive to get students to show up every day, a new report finds.