Overburndened and Underfunded: California Public Schools Amidst the Great Recession
https://doi.org/10.4471/remie.2012.08
Keywords:
Downloads
Abstract
Since 2008, many nations, including the United States, have struggled with the effects of a global recession. The state of California has been particularly impacted by the Great Recession. Unemployment rates in California are among the highest in the United States, and a weak fiscal environment has forced deep cutbacks to a variety of state services. This study uses California as a case to explore the effects of economic crisis on public schools and the students they serve. The study draws on two years of survey and interview data with a representative sample of public school principals across California. The data show that, during the Great Recession, students have experienced growing social welfare needs that often shape their well-being and their performance in schools. We also find that the capacity of public schools to meet these needs and provide quality education has been eroded by budget cuts. This study finds that schools primarily serving low-income families have been hardest hit during the recession, in part because they cannot raise private dollars to fill the gap left by public sector cuts. The Great Recession thus has undermined educational quality while producing widening educational inequality in California.Downloads
References
Alternative measures of labor underutilization for states, 2010 annual averages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [Electronic. (2010). Version]. Retrieved Feb. 28, 2011, from http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm
Google Scholar CrossrefBardhan, A. and Walker, R. (2010). California, pivot of the Great Recession. Working Paper No. 203-10, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley.
Google Scholar CrossrefBlatchford, P., Bassett, P., & Brown, P. (2005). Teachers' and pupils' behavior in large and small classes: A systematic observation study of pupils aged 10 and 11 years. Journal of Education Psychology, 97(3), 454-467.
Google Scholar CrossrefBlatchford, P., Bassett, P., & Brown, P. (2011). Examining the effect of class size on classroom engagement and teacher-pupil interaction: Differences in relation to pupil prior attainment and primary vs. secondary schools. Learning and Instruction, 21, 715-730.
Google Scholar CrossrefBohn, S. (2011a). Poverty in California, Public Policy Institute of California. (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/jtf/JTF_PovertyJTF.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefBohn, S. (2011b). Child Poverty in California, Public Policy Institute of California. (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/jtf/JTF_ChildPoverty.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefBohn, S. and Schiff, E. (2011). The Great Recession and distribution of income in California. Public Policy Institute of California.
Google Scholar CrossrefBryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefBureau of Economic Analysis. (2011). Economic Recovery Widespread Across States in 2010. (http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2011/pdf/gsp0611.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefBureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). Economic News Release. Table A-12: Unemployed persons by duration of employment (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm)
Google Scholar CrossrefCalifornia Budget Project. (2009). In the midst of the Great Recession: The state of working California 2009 (http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2009/090906_labor_day.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefCalifornia Budget Project. (2010). Searching for balance: The social and economic context of the Governor's proposed 2010-11 Budget. (http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2010/100202_Searching_for_Balance.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefCalifornia Budget Project (2011a). A decade of disinvestment: California education spending near the bottom. (http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2011/111012_Decade_of_Disinvestment_%20SFF.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefCalifornia Budget Project (2011b). A generation of widening inequality. (http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2011/111101_A_Generation_of_Widening_Inequality.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefCalifornia Budget Project (2012). Falling behind: The impact of the great recession and the budget crisis on California’s women and their families. (http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2012/120201_Falling_Behind.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefCeasar, S. and Watanabe, T. (2011). Education takes a beating nationwide. Los Angeles Times, Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/31/nation/la-na-education-budget-cuts-20110731.
Google Scholar CrossrefDarling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefDarling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Teacher learning: What matters? Educational Leadership, 66(5), 46 - 53.
Google Scholar CrossrefDillon, S. (2011). Tight budgets whittle away school days. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/08/local/me-textbooks8.
Google Scholar CrossrefEducation Week (2011). Quality Counts: Cost Adjusted Per-Pupil Expenditures by State.
Google Scholar CrossrefFanelli, S., Bertrand, M., Rogers, J., Medina, D., & Freelon, R. (2010). Before the recession…: Conditions, opportunities, and outcomes in California public schools.: UCLA IDEA, UC/ACCORD.
Google Scholar CrossrefFerguson, R. (2007). Toward excellence with equity: An emerging vision for closing the achievement gap. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
Google Scholar CrossrefFolmer-Annevelink, E., Doolaard, S., Mascareño, M., & Bosker, R. J. (2009). Class size effects on the number and types of student-teacher interactions in primary classrooms. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 44.2, 30-38.
Google Scholar CrossrefFuternick, K. (2007). A possible dream: Retaining California’s teachers so all students can learn: The Center for Teaching Quality at California State University.
Google Scholar CrossrefGandara, P. and Orfield, G. (2011). Squeezed from all sides: The CSU crisis and California’s future. UCLA Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles. (http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/college-access/financing/squeezed-from-all-sides-the-csu-crisis-and-californias-future/crp-squeezed-all-sides-2011.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefLegislative Analyst’s Office (2011). Cal Facts. (http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2011/calfacts/calfacts_010511.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefLino, M. (2009). Expenditures on children by families, publication number 1528-2009: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
Google Scholar CrossrefMcCombs, J.S. and Carroll, S. J. (2005). Ultimate Test: Who is Accountable for Education If Everybody Fails? RAND Review. (http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/spring2005/ulttest.html)
Google Scholar CrossrefMcDonough, P. (2005). Counseling and college counseling in America's high schools. Alexandria, Virginia: National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Google Scholar CrossrefMehta, S. (2009). Budget cuts put new textbook purchases on hold. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/08/local/me-textbooks8.
Google Scholar CrossrefMuller, C., Riegle-Crumb, C., Schiller, K. S., Wilkinson, L., and Frank, K. A. (2009). Race and academic achievement in racially diverse high schools: Opportunity and stratification. Teachers College Record, p. 1038-1063.
Google Scholar CrossrefRogers, J., Fanelli, S., Freelon, R., Medina, D., Bertrand, M., & Del Razo, M. (2010). Educational opportunities in hard times: The impact of the economic crisis on public schools and working families. Los Angeles: UCLA IDEA, UC /ACCORD.
Google Scholar CrossrefShambaugh, L., Kitmitto, S., Parrish, T., Arellanas, M., and Nakishama, N. (2011). California’s Education System During a Fiscal Crisis, American Institutes of Research.
Google Scholar CrossrefTaylor, M. (2011). The budget package: 2011-12 California spending plan. Legislative Analyst’s Office. (http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2011/bud/spend_plan/spend_plan_081211.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefU.S. Department of Education, (2010). A blueprint for reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
Google Scholar CrossrefVan Der Water, D., Abrahamson, T. D., & Lyons, K. (2009). High achieving seniors and the college decision. (http://www.lipmanhearne.com/home/newsResources/resourceDetails.aspx?id=38)
Google Scholar CrossrefWilson, S., Ball, D., Bryk, A., Figlio, D., Grossman, P., Jordan Irvine, J., et al. (2009). Teacher quality. (http://www.naeducation.org/White_Papers_Project_Teacher_Quality_Briefing_Sheet.pdf)
Google Scholar CrossrefDownloads
Published
Almetric
Dimensions
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All articles are published under Creative Commons copyright (CC BY). Authors hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles as the original source is cited.