Spending on education is the biggest-ticket item in the California state budget. Conse-quently, education funding is an obvious target when that budget must be cut. The current fiscal crisis has been no exception. School districts around the state are cutting jobs and programs. Recent proposed cuts in higher education funding have led both the California State University (CSU) system and the University of California (UC) to re- duce admissions. Although increased invest- ment alone will not solve all our educational challenges, cuts in education funding work against the state’s long-term interests. Califor- nia is already facing a “skills gap” that threat- ens its future economy. We need more—not less—support for education to narrow that gap, and more information about how to best target that support. Unless decisions and actions are taken soon to improve educa- tional outcomes for Californians, the state’s future economy and the prosperity of its resi- dents will be compromised. The good news is that modest improvements could lead to substantial long-term gains.

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