Education

Advancing Education and Opportunity for All

Effective, equitable education systems are necessary to prepare California’s children for the economy and society of the future. California historically led the nation in the quality of elementary and secondary schools and in creating a world-class system of public higher education to serve all Californians who wanted to go to college. But both systems have fallen behind. There are large racial and economic gaps in both achievement and educational attainment.

Efforts to understand and improve educational outcomes are made more difficult in California by the lack of a longitudinal student-record data system that links students across elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education, such as exists in many other states. As a result, California has often flown “data-blind” when it comes to basic information about factors influencing student achievement or the effects of various reforms.

The California Policy Lab is partnering with school districts, colleges and universities, and state education agencies to assess the impact of programs that serve our state’s most valued asset, our children. We help these partners maximize the effectiveness of the state’s education systems by better understanding their pupils and the forces at play in their lives outside the classroom. CPL helps educators and policymakers access better information that informs better policies.

Focus Areas