California's system of school finance is highly regulated and prescriptive. A large share of state funding is allocated through categorical programs, that is, programs whose funding is contingent upon districts using the money in a particular way or for a particular purpose. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of those programs, collectively…

In 2009, California state legislators freed local educators from the specific guidelines that previously regulated spending on 40 categorical-aid programs known as Tier 3 programs. This Tier 3 flexibility reform, which deregulates $4.5 billion in education funding, was enacted at the same time the legislature made cuts in education spending in…

Assessed child care quality based on reports of 170 center directors in three California counties. Responses indicated that most centers in lower-income and working-class communities displayed at least moderate quality levels along structural measures. About 1 in 6 failed to meet recommended quality standards. Center quality was not consistently…