Education Trust—West

The Education Trust–West Responds to Governor Brown’s May Budget Revision

OAKLAND, CA (May 14, 2013) – Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust—West, issued the following statement in response to Governor Brown’s May budget revision:


“The Education Trust—West applauds Governor Brown for his May budget revision. We are pleased that the Governor remains committed to his Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) proposal that would transform California’s antiquated and inequitable education finance system to a system based on student need.  We also applaud the Governor for providing additional funding to school districts to support the immediate implementation of the Common Core State Standards. We believe that this investment is in alignment with the Local Control Funding Formula and has the potential to transform teaching and learning in our schools and classrooms. We are similarly pleased that the Governor has strengthened his LCFF proposal to increase fiscal transparency and help ensure that supplementary and concentration funding benefits low-income students and English Learners. We commend Governor Brown for his commitment to educational equity and encourage the Legislature to support LCFF.”

 

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Community Groups Across California Form Fair Share 4 Kids Campaign to Support Equitable School Funding; Support Governor Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula

OAKLAND, CA (May 6, 2013) – Community groups from across California have come together today to launch the Fair Share 4 Kids Campaign (FairShare4Kids.org) to push for equitable school funding based on student need. The coalition, which includes Alliance for a Better Community (ABC), Alliance San Diego, Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN), Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, El Centro de Acción Social, The Education Trust—West, Public Advocates, Reading and Beyond, Students for Education Reform (SFER), and Youth Together, is currently working in support of Governor Brown’s plan for a new school finance formula, called the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

“For far too long, we have failed to adequately fund our schools and to fund students based on their needs,” said Luis Santana, Executive Director of Reading and Beyond, located in Fresno. “Governor Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula plan will fix California’s school funding system by increasing funding for all districts, closing gaps between rich and poor districts and supporting students with the greatest needs.”

Ed Trust–West Releases Third Annual Report Cards Grading the 148 Largest Unified Districts on Outcomes for Latino, African-American, and Low-income Students

OAKLAND, CA (April 3, 2013) – Today, The Education Trust–West (ETW) releases its third annual District Report Cards (http://reportcards.edtrustwest.org/), grading and ranking California’s largest unified districts on outcomes for Latino, African-American, and low-income students. Once again, this year’s report cards reveal higher poverty districts that are consistently achieving strong academic results, and graduating high numbers of college-eligible Latino, African-American, and low-income students.   

“Just as students receive report cards that measure their performance and progress in school, ETW develops annual report cards that grade California school districts on how well they are educating their Latino, African-American, and low-income students,” said Lindsey Stuart, Data and Policy Analyst at The Education Trust–West.  

New Ed Trust–West Study Finds Promising Practices for Student Success in Linked Learning Schools; Reveals Implications for District-Level Implementation throughout California

OAKLAND, CA (March 21, 2013) – As the Linked Learning high school reform initiative expands across California, the results of a two-year study by the Education Trust–West identifies promising practices in Linked Learning schools and districts. However, the study also notes variation in districtwide implementation of these best practices. The results of the study can be found in the new report released today titled, Expanding Access, Creating Options: How Linked Learning Pathways Can Mitigate Barriers to College and Career Access in Schools and Districts.

“Too many students are not achieving college and career success in California,” said Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a statewide education advocacy organization that works to close gaps in opportunity and achievement for students of color and low-income students. “Based on our research, we see that Linked Learning has the potential to reduce these inequities and offer students a real connection between academic and career success.” 

Ed Trust–West Analysis Finds Only Half of California Students Applying for Financial Aid; Potentially Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Financial Aid Untapped

OAKLAND, CA (February 28, 2013) – An analysis of newly available FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and Cal Grant application data by The Education Trust–West finds that low-income California students may be missing out on potentially hundreds of millions of student aid dollars. 

The Education Trust–West calculated FAFSA completion rates and Cal Grant completion and award rates both statewide and for individual California high schools. The findings are presented in the newly released report, The Cost of Opportunity: Access to College Financial Aid in California and related website, financialaid.edtrustwest.org. The data reveal that only 54 percent of high school seniors in California’s public high schools completed the FAFSA in the 2012-13 financial aid year. Only 50 percent of seniors completed the Cal Grant application.  

New Ed Trust–West Report Paints a Detailed Portrait of How African-American Youth Fare in Los Angeles County Schools

OAKLAND, CA (February 26, 2013) – Today, The Education Trust–West releases At a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Picture of How African-American Youth Fare in Los Angeles County Schools and accompanying Prezi. Using data from multiple sources, the report finds that academic and socioemotional outcomes for African-American students in L.A. County are poor overall. However, it also identifies school districts where African-American students are doing better on a range of outcomes including academic performance, graduation rates, A-G completion rates, suspension rates, special education identification rates, and health and wellness indicators.  

“One in three African-American students in California attend an L.A. County public school. This report reveals that the vast majority of these students are not receiving the opportunities they need to succeed and to ultimately achieve their college and career dreams,” said Lindsey Stuart, author of the report and a research analyst at The Education Trust–West, a statewide education advocacy organization that works to close gaps in opportunity and achievement for students of color and low-income students.