Playing the long game in an uncertain education policy climate

Photo credit: RDNE Stock Project

As California emerges from a contentious national election, it is critical to keep a clear view of the risks that lie ahead while pursuing bold strategies to address them. There are many areas where state and local leaders can still work to improve the lives of Californians, and education offers one of the clearest examples. Historically, education policy has been shaped at the state and local levels, and California has the resources to lead the nation in promoting common-sense, evidence-based policies that create better outcomes for children and families.

This work has never been more important. California’s education system faces four pressing challenges in the wake of COVID-19. Student achievement continues to lag behind other states, with achievement gaps remaining unacceptably large. Chronic absenteeism is also hindering recovery efforts as many children and families remain out of school. Additionally, schools are failing to provide students with the skills they need to be career ready, successful in practice, and actively participating in a complex democracy. Meanwhile, brutal culture wars are consuming the attention and resources needed to address these critical issues. To drive meaningful progress, it is essential to address these challenges head-on and develop targeted solutions.

Parents care deeply about how their children learn, and California urgently needs a comprehensive strategy to improve student achievement. Even before Covid-19, the state’s overall performance — and outcomes for students from historically underserved racial and ethnic groups — lagged behind the national average.

Any improvement strategy must begin with every teacher having high-quality, comprehensive instructional materials and the training to use them effectively. A clear model for this type of reform is the “Science of Reading” movement, which has been adopted by many states but has not yet been adopted in California.

One doesn’t have to agree with all aspects of reading science to see that Mississippi’s reform package has moved the state from near bottom in the national rankings to above the national average. Their approach offers a model of a state that had a clear educational vision, supported that vision with well-crafted policies, and achieved impressive results as a result. California would do well to embrace the idea that public policy, when implemented with purpose and precision, can make teaching and learning meaningful.

However, students cannot learn if they are not in school in the first place. Chronic absenteeism in California more than doubled after the pandemic, rising from 10% to 24% in the 2022-23 school year; This affected over 1.4 million students. It is a pervasive problem that affects all types of schools and students. Although the causes of this crisis are not yet fully understood, some ideas require a political response.

Access to school-based mental health services remains inadequate and disproportionately limited for students of color and those from low-income families. Districts must work together across systems to expand these services and ensure they reach those most in need. Additionally, the epidemic of violence and bullying at school has parents wondering whether it is safe to send a child to school. Therefore, efforts should be made to eliminate violence and bullying on school premises.

California ranks near the bottom of all states in access to on-site physical health services at school, making greater access to affordable, quality health care for low-income students critical. To effectively address this crisis, districts need local strategies that identify the specific causes of absenteeism in their communities and implement targeted interventions to support affected students.

The goal is not just to get students into school, but to ensure that their determination to stay translates into good job opportunities and overall well-being – whether they enroll in college or go straight into the workforce. For districts, preparation begins long before high school.

The region is making encouraging progress in improving students’ access to high-paying and interesting careers. Public-private partnerships can help districts better equip students with good-paying jobs by developing career paths in fields such as technology and healthcare and moving from basic skills to advanced competencies. District administrators can work with local colleges to develop cross-sector strategies to better prepare students for college success. These efforts should include paid internships in high-demand occupations such as healthcare, allied health, high technology, or green technology. In particular, several organizations (UniteLA, Growing Inland Achievement) and others are already advancing this important work in Southern California and providing a model for other regions to follow.

To gain traction on these meaningful issues, advocates, parents and policymakers must lower the tone around divisive “culture war” issues that are currently consuming too much air in the room. Where there are sharp moral differences, we must encourage civil discussion and respect different viewpoints. California’s public schools must remain places where all parents feel comfortable sending their children. While debates about the goals of education are inevitable—and even critical to a healthy democratic process—school boards and education leaders can be overtaken by partisan, nationalized politics, which only hinders progress. By focusing on the pressing challenges, we all recognize that we can move forward and find solutions to improve the lives of our children.

We don’t yet know what the national elections mean for California schools, and some federal actions could escalate and potentially have serious consequences for the state’s students and families. In times of uncertainty, it is prudent to focus on local educational improvements based on strong evidence. By prioritizing proven strategies that promote long-term goals, California can continue to strengthen student learning in the region’s schools and colleges, regardless of major policy changes.

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Patricia Burch is a professor of education at the USC Rossier School of Education and faculty co-director of the USC Education Policy Hub.

Morgan Polikoff is a professor of education at the USC Rossier School of Education and faculty co-director of the USC EdPolicy Hub.

Jon Fullerton is a research professor and executive director of the USC EdPolicy Hub.

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