This paper provides an analysis of government-supported workforce development programs in the United States and selected states as of the end of 2024. We provide an overview of the topic of workforce development, defining this to include activities and funding mechanisms that aim to increase the skills of workers and help them succeed in the labor…

Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, often juggling work, classes, and caregiving responsibilities. Public systems and programs can provide critical support, but frequently create additional hurdles for parenting students and their families-- especially those with low incomes. In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social…

Compared to unpaid leave, paid family leave may better help working parents balance the competing needs of job and family early in a child's life, among other advantages. Yet the United States remains one of only two countries in the world without a statutory national paid maternity leave policy, and one of the only high-income countries that…

Accountability in the private and public sectors of society has received significant attention in both research and practice, partly because of its importance, but also because it is challenging to define, measure and implement. The nature of accountability is complex, ambiguous and highly context-dependent. As related to postsecondary education…

The objective inmate classification system in use in California's prisons is described. Evaluation of 14,091 cases suggests that the system reduces the rate of increase in the incidence of serious prisoner misconduct. Empirical evaluation of the system is recommended, and implications for correctional programs and public policy are discussed. (SLD)

Examined how interest group struggles affect the formulation and implementation of a statewide long-term care system by using California's experience to illustrate the competition that can develop between senior citizens and disabled groups. (Author)

An overview is presented of select research performed under a project entitled "Education, Delinquency Prevention, and the Search for Youth Policy: An Historical Inquiry." This overview contains two discrete essays that synthesize the main findings of seven key writers in the field of juvenile delinquency between 1900 and 1930 and…

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlight Series newsletter adds California and Ohio to a re-analysis of findings from an earlier report looking at the move to establish a state pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in Georgia, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. Key figures in political and educational circles in these seven states were…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report describes the scope and severity of early childhood caries (ECC), a…

Child care has become a central issue to most Californians and is increasingly important to policymakers. The Little Hoover Commission examined child care in California, focusing on the long-standing competition between the quantity of services available and the quality of services provided. Information was obtained from an advisory committee of…

This report describes a conference convened by eight child care advocates to create a plan for funding child care services for California's families. Part one describes the participants of the summit, their role, and the assumptions of the summit. Part two details the following three models that were proposed for financing child care: (1) create a…

In an effort to provide uninsured children with health care, California and states across the nation have focused on locating uninsured children and enrolling them in Medicaid and their state children's health insurance program. This report provides a comprehensive examination of California's efforts and offers strategies for keeping children…

This report details California CARES (Compensation and Retention Encourage Stability), an initiative aimed at building a skilled and stable workforce to provide high-quality child care and development services throughout California. The report is presented in three parts. Part 1 describes the statewide effort to provide professional development…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints series challenge readers to question their own opinions and assumptions. By reading carefully balanced views, readers confront new ideas on the topic of interest. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited job discrimination based on age, race, religion, gender, or national origin, provided the groundwork for…

A 2-year study of California's programs for elementary and secondary school students with limited English proficiency (LEP) found that the state's explosion of LEP students has led to significant classroom innovations. Some elementary schools with large numbers of students from one non-English language have developed bilingual programs allowing…