By Carolyn Jones
CalMatters
California spent billions of dollars in 2023 to help students rebound academically as well as emotionally from the pandemic, with mixed results. While test scores remained stagnant, efforts to lure students back to the classroom appeared to be working.
Despite school districts investing in tutoring, after-school programs and other academic supports, Smarter Balanced standardized test scores changed little from 2022, and lagged well behind pre-pandemic scores. One explanation: an increase in students living in poverty, who are homeless, in foster care or who have disabilities.
Also, a new school dashboard showed improvements in graduation and absenteeism rates, but generally flat performance on other measures of student achievement.
Some advocates have grown impatient with the lack of progress, and said that money alone might not be enough to turn around test scores, particularly for students of color and low-income students.
“I’m concerned that there’s a sense of complacency about student achievement,” said Christopher Nellum, executive director of Education Trust-West, a research and advocacy nonprofit. “Money is important, but we need to put more teeth into our accountability measures. … California is an amazing state, and getting it right matters — not just here, but across the country.”
More students did show up for school in 2023, however. The state’s dismal attendance rates during the pandemic improved significantly, thanks in part to gourmet meals, expanded transitional kindergarten and other efforts to make schools more welcoming. In some districts, social workers and counselors even went door-to-door, talking to families about the importance of daily school attendance.
Meanwhile, California has made several long-term investments that officials hope will lead to improvements in years to come. Among them are hundreds of new community schools, which offer social services services for students and families; a new math framework, based on techniques used in countries with high math achievement; a new literacy plan and dyslexia testing; and up to $1 billion annually for arts programs through Proposition 28.
The state has also invested in programs to recruit and retain teachers, who have been leaving the profession in droves due to working conditions, which they say have deteriorated since the pandemic. They also say salaries have not kept up with inflation and the high cost of living in California.
Politically, several California school districts made headlines in 2023 after voters elected conservative majorities to local school boards. Chino Valley, Murrieta and Roseville are among a handful of districts that passed “forced outing” policies requiring teachers to inform parents if a student identifies as a different gender. Temecula banned a textbook that mentions gay rights icon Harvey Milk. Although state officials pushed back against these policies, battles over local control and LGBTQ student rights are expected to continue into 2024 as election-year political rhetoric escalates.
“These anti-LGBTQ policies are spreading like wildfire, and people need to realize the harmful impact that these policies have on young people,” said Jorge Reyes Salinas, communications director for Equality California, a civil rights organization focusing on LGBTQ issues. “But we are ready to continue fighting, and we’re not going to stop until we’re victorious.”
Major issues for 2024: After years of state and federal investments aimed at helping students recover from the pandemic, California schools will face some fiscal uncertainties in 2024. Covid relief money will expire and the state budget may shrink, forcing schools to make difficult decisions about programs, staffing and priorities. The cuts may impact California’s efforts to boost test scores and attendance, which remain well below their pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, divisive “culture war” issues, particularly those related to LGBTQ+ student rights, are likely to escalate as California heads into an election year.