During the past quarter-century, expenditures per pupil in California have fallen nearly a quarter, in comparison to the national average. Education Week (2003) ranked California third worst in the nation in adequacy of resources for education. According to EdSource (2003), an independent information-gathering organization, taxpayers spend about 3 percent of their personal income on K-12 education, 4oth in the nation. Despite a mid-1990s push to reduce class size in kindergarten through third grade, the state ranks 49th in the number of students per teacher. The U.S. average is about 16:1. In California, it’s nearly 21:1. That translates directly into less support for students.
The problem isn’t just the student-teacher ratio; it’s also the quality of instruction. In 2001, some 42,000 instructors—as many as in half the states combined—lack teaching credentials, and 38,000 more are working with emergency permits. Stanford Professor of Education Linda Darling-Hammond calculates that students attending schools whose enrollment is drawn from the lowest quartile of socioeconomic status (SES) are five times more likely to have underqualified teachers than students going to schools that draw come from the top SES quartile.
|
Education Resources in California
How California Rates |
|
Indicator |
California |
U.S. Average |
How California Ranks |
|
Expenditure per student (NCES)1 |
$ 7,905 |
$8,809 |
30th |
|
Cost-adjusted expenditure per student (EdWeek)2 |
$7,081 |
$8,973 |
46th |
|
K-12 expenditures per $1000 in personal income3 |
$38 per $1,000 |
$41 per $1,000 |
33rd |
|
Teachers per 1,000 pupils4 |
48.0 |
63.9 |
49th |
|
Guidance counselors per 1,000 pupils4 |
1.1 |
2.1 |
51st |
|
Librarians per 1,000 pupils4 |
0.2 |
1.1 |
51st |
|
Number of students per instructional computer5 |
5.1 |
3.8 |
n/a |
|
Percent of students with computer in classroom5 |
44% |
49.5% |
n/a |
|
Percent of students with computer in lab/media center5 |
60% |
77% |
n/a |
|
Sources:
1. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2004-2005
2. 2005 figure from Education Week, Quality Counts 2008
3. 2004 figures, National Education Association’s Ranking and Estimates, 2006–07
4. NCES, Common Core of Data, 2005–06
5. Education Week, Technology Counts 2007 |
EdSource 3/08
|
Teacher Salary and Expenditure Comparisons for 2005-2006 |
|
|
California Rank in U.S. |
California Average |
U.S. Average |
Top |
Bottom |
|
Teachers' salaries
(2005-06) |
1 |
$59,825 |
$49,026 |
$59,825
(California) |
$34,709
(South Dakota) |
|
Expenditures per pupil (2005-06) |
29 |
$8,486 |
$9,100 |
$15,508
(District of Columbia) |
$5,347
(Utah) |
|
Public school revenue
(2003-04) per $1,000
personal income in 2004 |
26 |
$46 |
$47 |
$60
(Vermont) |
$29
(District of
Columbia) |
|
Per capital personal
income (2004) |
12 |
$35,172 |
$33,041 |
$52,101
(District of Columbia) |
$24,379
(Mississippi) |
Note: The numbers in this table are based on full enrollment data. The District of Columbia is included among the states.
National Education Association's Rankings & Estimates, 2006-07
EdSource 11/07
|
School and District Staffing Ratios in California and Other Large States |
|
Staff per 1,000 Pupils in 2005-06 |
|
|
New York |
Texas |
Illinois |
U.S. Average |
Florida |
California |
California's Rank |
% National Average |
|
Total Staff |
132.7 |
137.1 |
125.4 |
124.7 |
117.5 |
90.0 |
50 |
72% |
|
Total District Staff* |
8.6 |
2.9 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
6.6 |
5.0 |
35 |
88% |
|
Officials and Administrators |
1.1 |
1.8 |
1.8 |
1.3 |
0.7 |
0.4 |
47 |
33% |
|
School Staff* |
103.8 |
99.7 |
96.0 |
95.2 |
87.0 |
70.0 |
51 |
74% |
|
Principals/Asst. Principals |
3.1 |
7.0 |
3.1 |
3.4 |
2.7 |
2.2 |
49 |
63% |
|
Teachers |
77.8 |
66.8 |
63.4 |
63.9 |
59.4 |
48.0 |
49 |
75% |
|
Guidance Counselors |
2.4 |
2.3 |
1.5 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
1.1 |
51 |
52% |
|
Librarians |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
0.2 |
51 |
17% |
|
Total Certified School Staff |
84.5 |
77.2 |
69.0 |
70.5 |
65.3 |
51.5 |
49 |
73% |
|
Note: The District of Columbia is included with the 50 states.
*District and school totals include classified staff. |
Data: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2005-06.
EdSource 11/07
The Foundation’s approach to K-12 school reform in California has three strands: (1) supporting research and policy analysis of the state’s school finance and accountability systems as well as about the conditions of education broadly, (2) stimulating awareness and public engagement in school reform issues among Californians, and (3) supporting innovative approaches to improving the quality of academic instruction in the state’s demographically diverse public schools.
Grant Highlights
Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)
Enriching California's education policy
EdSource
Providing the public with California education policy news and data
Californians for Justice
Connecting community organizing with statewide reform efforts
Quality Education Commission
Identifying the resources needed to help all California students meet state academic performance standards
UCLA
Developing a campaign to inform the California public about the state of education in the state
To read about Hewlett Foundation grantees in the news, click here.