This article examines how teacher collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), teacher salaries, and class sizes changed during the Great Recession. Using a district-level data set of California teacher CBAs that includes measures of subarea contract strength and salaries from 2005-2006 and 2011-2012 tied to district-level longitudinal data, we…

The PPIC Statewide Survey delivers nonpartisan, objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. PPIC invites input, comments, and suggestions from policy and public opinion experts and from its own advisory committee, but survey methods, questions, and content are determined…

The purpose to this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of per pupil expenditures at a specific school site. The objectives were threefold. The first objective was to determine per pupil expenditures, the second question was to determine variations in expenditures on a per student basis and finally, the third question in the study was to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of per-pupil funding, the amount allocated to fund students in K-12 public education, and how this funding related to student achievement. This is one of the most contentious issues in education, especially in light of the current economy in California, where the state budget crisis has…

The public higher education systems have received significant budget cuts in the 2009-10 fiscal year, with the University of California (UC) receiving $813 million less than in 2007-08, California State University (CSU) receiving $625 million less, and the community college system receiving $812 million less. It is important to understand the…

One of the greatest differences in resources across schools in California comes from an inequitable distribution of teachers. This study identifies reasons for this sorting of teachers by surveying 531 teachers in a California elementary school district. The surveys ask the teachers to make choices between various workplace characteristics. With…

Using data on mean achievement of third and sixth graders in individual California schools, coupled with salary data for those students' teachers, this study tested whether teacher salary variables are associated with student achievement, when socioeconomic characteristics are controlled. Differences among schools in the amount of teachers' pay…

Although California ranked sixth in 1983 per capita income, the state ranks 23rd in 1984-85 public school expenditures per pupil and 50th in student-teacher ratios. To address underfunding and class size problems, a Trust Fund for School Improvement is needed to coordinate fragmented funding sources for well-planned local projects. Included are 10…

This publication is concerned with the number of pupils, teachers, and schools in California and the expenditures of public funds to educate the 4.4 million children attending schools in the state. The data are presented in the form of tables. The first section concerns school district type, average daily attendance, and participation and costs of…

This report sets forth 27 recommendations by the California Commission on the Teaching Profession for improving California schools. After an outline summary of the recommendations and an introductory discussion of education as California's "growth industry," the recommendations are presented according to three general topic areas. The…

Presented are findings from California's State testing program for 1971-72 and 1972-73. The factors (variables) examined were divided into two groups: output factors, indicators of school quality such as scores on achievement tests; and input factors, factors describing the characteristics of school districts such as class size, tax rate, etc.…

The factors (variables) examined in the California State Testing Program were divided into two groups for the analyses: (1) the 11 indicators of school quality in terms of the products of the educational system, referred to as output factors (e.g., pupil scores on achievement tests); and (2) the 22 indicators of school quality in terms of the…