Reports

September 30, 2022 | Research shows that exclusionary discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions are ineffective at improving school safety and deterring infractions, may have a long-lasting negative impact on students, and disproportionately affect students based on their gender, race, school level, and disability status.

September 15, 2022 | Relatively few studies have successfully linked specific features of principal learning to teacher and student outcomes. To begin to address this gap in the literature, LPI researchers conducted a study of the relationship between principal learning opportunities (both preservice preparation and in-service professional development) and key outcomes for the teachers and students in their schools.

August 24, 2022 | A student’s performance under conditions of high support and low threat differs substantially from how they perform without such support or when feeling threatened. To create identity-safe classrooms where students can learn and thrive, schools can promote trust and interpersonal connection; create purposeful communities of care and consistency; use restorative practices to promote understanding, voice, and responsibility; and recognize diversity as an asset.

August 9, 2022 | Magnet schools can be tools for increasing community and school diversity and providing academic benefits to all students. They also present opportunities for neighborhood revitalization and stability. However, achieving these outcomes requires holistic thinking about civil rights and integration. Schools and neighborhoods are inextricably linked, and policies that reflect this reality will garner better results for both children and communities.

July 27, 2022 | Early learning has the potential to support children’s learning and development prior to kindergarten. This study investigates the relationship between preschool quality in California and children’s learning and development. Children of almost all demographic groups enrolled in programs categorized as higher-tier showed more learning and development than those in lower-tier programs, though underserved children were less likely to attend the higher-tier programs. 

July 26, 2022 | In California, the approximately 47,000 students who live in foster care face complex educational challenges. This report sheds light on the needs, characteristics, and outcomes of California students living in foster care and promising practices to better support them, including enhancing effective coordination and collaboration among agencies; building trusting relationships in schools; and providing targeted social, emotional, and academic services.

June 27, 2022 | Estimates show that California has a substantial, urgent need for new lead and assistant transitional kindergarten teachers. To meet this need, California must develop new teachers and draw upon educators currently in the workforce. State policymakers can take steps to stabilize, support, and expand the broader early childhood workforce and build pathways for racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse educators.

May 25, 2022 | More than 5 million children in the United States are living in deep poverty. Researchers suggest that deep poverty-responsive schools—for instance, schools funded according to fair school finance formulas, designed around community schools principles, and centered on whole child teaching and learning—can address the full range of children’s needs and help heal trauma associated with living in deep poverty.

May 25, 2022 | Education should provide opportunities for every student to learn and thrive, but the current U.S. system often falls short. Research from the science of learning and development points to whole child education as a method to transform systems to provide high-quality learning for all students. The Whole Child Policy Toolkit can help state policymakers and education leaders advance whole child policy and support schools, districts, and communities to meet the needs of every child efficiently, effectively, and equitably.

May 23, 2022 | Strong school leadership is critical for shaping productive learning environments, supporting excellence in teaching, and influencing student outcomes. But how can leaders strengthen their skills and knowledge to most effectively achieve these effects? Two decades of scholarship shed light on the elements of high-quality principal preparation programs and professional development associated with positive outcomes, as well as research and policy implications for a holistic approach to principal advancement and support.