http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ucla_cts_covid19/rss Recent eScholarship items from The Impact of COVID-19 on Schools in California Mon, 26 Oct 2026 02:58:28 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9b67z8c6 The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally disrupted California’s education system, exposing and intensifying longstanding inequities in educational access and outcomes. This study aims to document the pandemic’s impact on California’s K–12 education landscape and identify strategic policy recommendations informed by educator perspectives. Using a qualitative mixed-methods approach, researchers conducted standardized interviews with 11 educators representing diverse roles and regions across California and analyzed open-ended survey responses from 49 administrators through thematic coding. Findings revealed that remote learning disproportionately affected historically marginalized students due to persistent digital inequities, interrupted academic progress, and reduced instructional quality. Educators also reported widespread learning loss, increased behavioral challenges, heightened social-emotional and mental health needs, staffing shortages, and growing demands for schools to address... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9b67z8c6 Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bishop, Joseph Howard, Tyrone C. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3175z0wf This research brief examines how California’s rural schools have been disproportionately affected by the combined impacts of COVID-19 and recurring wildfires and identifies state and federal resources that can address these challenges. Drawing on existing research, policy literature, and state and federal funding initiatives, the brief synthesizes evidence on rural educational inequities and evaluates funding opportunities linked to recovery, infrastructure, educator development, and student support. The review highlights persistent barriers, including the digital divide, teacher shortages, limited healthcare access, vaccine hesitancy, and wildfire-related displacement, all of which compound educational inequities. It identifies evidence-based strategies such as expanding school safety infrastructure, strengthening educator pipelines through “Grow Your Own” programs and credentialing support, bridging digital access gaps, and investing in community schools that provide wraparound... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3175z0wf Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Leger, Mary-Louise Valencia, Gabriela Corona https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n50h5zs The COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted student social-emotional learning (SEL), mental health, and school engagement, raising concerns about widening educational inequities across California. This policy brief examines the post-pandemic effects of COVID-19 on student engagement, SEL, well-being, chronic absenteeism, academic motivation, and school support capacity to inform statewide recovery efforts. Using publicly available statewide data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), CALPADS, and the COVID-19 School Data Hub, the analysis applies descriptive statistics and regression models to assess trends while accounting for student, school, and learning-mode characteristics. Findings indicate significant increases in chronic absenteeism, declines in academic motivation and elementary student self-efficacy, persistent mental health concerns, and insufficient school support staffing, with disproportionately adverse outcomes among low-income students, English Learners,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n50h5zs Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Santibanez, Lucrecia