Gov. Jerry Brown last week signed the state’s $171 billion budget for 2016-17. Here are some highlights of education spending in the budget, including increases for additional preschool seats, efforts to address the teacher shortage and programs to prepare students for college. 1. Overall numbers The $171 billion state budget includes total funding of $88.3...

This is the last in a three-part series examining California’s approach to education data and school accountability. Part One surveyed how the state’s skepticism of test-based accountability starts at the top with Gov. Jerry Brown, who successfully took on the federal government; Part Two explored how the elimination of certain data systems has limited educational research...

This is the second in a three-part series examining California’s approach to education data and school accountability. Part One looks at how the state’s skepticism of test-based accountability starts at the top with Gov. Jerry Brown, who successfully took on the federal government. Part Three will consider what the next era of accountability in California...

This is the first in a three-part series examining California’s approach to education data and school accountability. Part Two explores how the elimination of certain data systems has limited educational research in one of the country’s most consequential states. Part Three will consider what the next era of accountability in California might look like under the new...

By Judy Lin More than 50 civil rights and education reform groups are using Jerry Brown to remind Jerry Brown of his pledge to help black and Latino students following an interview with CALmatters in which he suggested that disparities will persist despite government intervention. In a letter dated May 3, dozens of advocacy groups...

By Judy Lin | CALmatters As he eyes a run for governor, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is spotlighting the lagging academic performance of Latino and African American students and saying the state should do more to hold schools accountable. The 63-year-old Democrat says parents have a right to know how their schools are...

The California state Senate voted 37 to 0 yesterday to approve SB-725, which exempts 2015 seniors from passing the California High School Exit Exam, allowing them to receive their diplomas immediately. The state Assembly passed the bill last week, 77 to 1. The bill now goes to Governor Jerry Brown to sign into law. Because it...

Gov. Jerry Brown‘s revised May budget has already received plenty of praise from school districts for showering California’s public education institutions with billions in additional funds. But the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) yesterday delivered additional sunny news estimating that revenues would be $3.2 billion more than Brown’s budget predicts. “Overall, we think the administration’s...

* UPDATED Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget, which directs billions more toward schools over the next few years, has brought smiles to the faces of educational leaders around the state. The overall amount includes an additional $3.1 billion for the current academic year and $2.7 billion extra for next year and could mean as much as...