Publications

Policy Brief prepared for the California Department of Education (CDE), Homeless Education Program

A research brief proposed for the California Department of Education by Jeremy Simon GSPP, PLUS Fellow, Spring 2024

Y-PLAN’s success shows what is possible when we entrust young people to lead

Convening Report

As California increases efforts to promote a more sustainable, multi-modal transportation ecosystem, it is important to understand how different parcel uses, especially those that benefit from public funding, such as schools, determine parking requirements. Given California’s evolving approach to off-street parking provisions and the state’s funding of new school development projects, the amount of parking…

Amid fires, wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and other climate-driven disasters and health hazards, California’s leading experts in children’s health and education have come together to call for a cost-effective, ten year $150 billion investment to ensure K-12 public schools can remain open and provide safe and healthy places for California’s children to learn and grow….

Children born today will bear the brunt of the burden of climate change despite having the least responsibility for causing it. Growing calls to position climate change as a child’s rights crisis are rooted in research on the unique physical and mental health impacts that high temperatures, poor air quality, and stress associated with living…

Public school districts across California struggle to upkeep and modernize their school facilities. For many districts, aging inventory, coupled with limited capital funding opportunities, has led to school facilities with ballooning deferred maintenance problems and classrooms that do not appropriately support modern instructional practices. These realities also work against California’s priorities for high quality, equitable…

For the last five years, the California Department of Education (CDE) has reported a steady increase in homeless K-12 students in the state1. In the academic year 2018-2019, over 207,000 California K-12 students were without appropriate, consistent and stable housing2. Unhoused K-12 students are disproportionately LGBTQ+, migrants, students of color, and students with disabilities, exacerbating…

Sacramento City Unified School District’s (SCUSD) college and career readiness initiatives, as cited in the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan, only equip students with half of the skills and requirements necessary for graduates to succeed in their post-secondary options (Conley, 2012). Namely, SCUSD fails to assess critical soft skills, such as perseverance, growth mindsets, goal-setting, collaboration, etc.,…

CC+S is partnering with the 21st Century School Fund, The Center for Green Schools, and the National Council on School Facilities to address the structural problems of inequitable and inadequate school facilities found in too many communities across the U.S. 

Joint use of public school facilities is a complex but manageable approach to efficiently enhancing the services and programs available to students and supporting the community use of public schools. Building upon on our 2010 paper titled Joint Use of Public Schools: A Framework for a New Social Contract, this paper identifies the policy framework…

In response to rapidly changing environmental and political climates around the world, governing agencies are grappling with the notion of resilience. How can communities continue to thrive with chronic and acute threats such as sea level rise, drought, fire, growing inequality, and unaffordable housing? Community engagement is often sought by governing agencies in determining answers…

After reviewing the policy landscape and placement of SUDA within Oakland’s social network, this report seeks to answer how a career academy can transform a school into a full-service community learning center and simultaneously address community development goals.

California’s 6-million-student public school system includes a vast inventory of publicly owned buildings and property. All of these facilities need to be maintained and some need major renovations to ensure health, safety, and educational suitability. Some communities also need new school buildings to house a growing student population. Research suggests students learn better in classrooms…

While successful joint use partnerships can be found across California and the country, lack of information, guidance, and best practices keep many localities from pursuing this collaborative strategy. CC&S partnered with Public Health Law and Policy (PHLP) to conduct initial research on joint use school facility partnerships in California. Our report looks at joint use…

This study provides a critical appraisal of intermediaries in demand-driven workforce development. In San Francisco East Bay, an emerging set of workforce intermediaries – here called the” Skills Brokers” – recently take issue in alleged Skills Gaps to create a cross-sector reform agenda. They seek to connect the supply and demand for STEM skills to…

A PLUS fellow report on teacher retention in OUSD

Page 79 of this activity guide is an activity for teachers and students to explore their school grounds and look for examples of resiliency as well as come up with ways their school can be more resilient. The lesson plan uses fundamental aspects of the Y-PLAN methodology like working with young people and allowing them…

This report presents research findings and policy recommendations from a year-long process involving a diverse stakeholder group to establish a more effective “joint use” strategy in San Francisco that supports students, families, schools and communities. The report includes: a) detailed descriptions and diagrams of current SFUSD facility policies and processes; b) findings on current utilization,…

California has run out of money to help school districts build and repair schools. See EdSource’s video explainer that highlight’s CC+S research.

Third- and fourth-grade elementary school students have been contributing their ideas to the redevelopment of their community in San Francisco, using a methodology known as Y-PLAN (Youth-PlanLearn-Act, Now!). This article explains the process and describes the ideas the children have come up with – and how key areas and insights are being incorporated into the…

Many schools offer service learning—community service linked to classroom studies—to help students become more effective participants in a democratic society. Different forms of service learning combine various amounts of discussion and analysis of social issues with engagement in activities that have real impact outside the classroom. What we call “Social Enterprise for Learning,” or SEfL,…

The chapters in this volume explore the links between education, location, and land based on the proceedings of the 8th Annual Land Policy Conference of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Three policy outcomes are the focus: academic achievement of schoolchildren; racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic segregation; and equality of opportunity, all of which have broad…

In 2017, the California Department of Education (CDE) announced the “Small School District Assistance Initiative,” aimed at providing targeted assistance to small and rural school districts in the state. To aid CDE’s efforts, this study investigates the facility challenges and issues facing rural and small school districts in California. We utilize a mixed method approach to understand the capital investment…

Work-based learning (WBL), an important part of the 1990s “School to Work” movement, is a core component of the Linked Learning strategy which is now shaping efforts to improve secondary education in California2 and around the nation in cities such as Detroit, New York and Philadelphia. WBL can include not only classic internships and “co-op”…

CC+S partnered with the Local Government Commission and other members of the Ad-Hoc Coalition for Healthy School Siting to provide school facility planning and design policy recommendations to the California Department of Education (CDE). The Ad-Hoc Coalition for Healthy School Siting is a group of five entities across California that have analyzed research and policies…

Problem Statement: To support its policy goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in recent years, California has enacted land use and transportation policies aimed at reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT). One of these new policies, Senate Bill (SB) 743 (Steinberg, 2013), requires lead agencies to measure development impacts on VMT and identify feasible mitigation…

This report is intended to help understand strategic ways to empower and strengthen the West Contra Costa Youth Commission. It is broken up into 7 parts:  Background providing context to the district  Framing around the imperative of youth voice and local opportunity in West Contra Costa  A description of methods used for…

This report aims to provide the Multilingual Pathways Department (MPD) a general overview of the current implementation of Spanish Biliteracy (BL) and Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) pathways at the school site level. It will identify trends that exists within and across school sites as it relates to the key components of bilingual programming. More specifically, it…

In an emotional presentation, four local high school students recently shared their experiences of the housing crisis with the Menlo Park City Council

A research report on the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) student assignment policy, which was designed to help with school choice to reverse the trend of racial isolation and the concentration of underserved students in the same school, and to provide equitable access to programs offered in the district.

Our nation’s public schools are important elements of public social and physical infrastructure. The quality of cities depends on the quality of schools. 

This report analyzes the potential to integrate school and community services in the redevelopment of HOPE SF at the Hunters View public housing project.

Despite the growing interest in expanding the joint use of K–12 public schools by public health and planning practitioners to promote healthy, sustainable communities, the topic has received little attention in the urban planning and public health scholarship. The objective of this article is to situate joint use in the academic literature focused on the…

Through connections with local communities of practice as well as development professionals and other adult actors, HOPE SF can improve the prospects for affiliated youth. 

A joint report from the Center for Cities + Schools, 21st Century School Fund, Center for Green Schools, and National Council on School Facilities Our country’s elementary and secondary (PK–12) public school infrastructure is in crisis. Every day, millions of children in the U.S. attend public school in unhealthy, unsafe, educationally inadequate, environmentally unsustainable, and…

Estuary News Magazine wrote an article about the partnership between Y-PLAN and RbD focusing on the agency students gain through the Y-PLAN process. They argue that Y-PLAN encourages city officials to actively engage youth in the planning process by being intentional about including youth and not just setting up programs that are marginal to the…

This article is about the partnership between Y-PLAN and the City of Richmond. Explaining their long partnership and the mutually beneficial relationship they have has engaging youth in Richmond’s planning process.

In many parts of the country it is difficult for families, particularly low- or moderate- income families to afford a suitable home in a transit-rich neighborhood with good schools. This report synthesizes the ideas and policy recommendations from a national convening of local, state, and federal stakeholders from across the country on innovative policy and…

Y-PLAN received an award from the UCB Chancellor for their partnership with the African American Male Achievement Initiative in OUSD.

This 8-minute film interviews eight directors of water quality, restoration, and environmental programs around the San Francisco Estuary about their experience of the 2017-2018 Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge. ESTUARY News asked these leaders — some of whom also sit on the SF Estuary Partnership’s Estuary Blueprint Implementation Committee — how the results of…

In this article, we measure the impacts of three public school construction regulations on the costs of construction in a model that incorporates a more comprehensive set of project and locality characteristics than previous research.

Every day millions of elementary and secondary school children in the U.S. attend public school in deteriorated and obsolete facilities that harm their health and undermine achievement. Why? Because capital funding for public school facility infrastructure remains the most regressive element of public education finance. Policy brief by BASIC ([Re]Build America’s School Infrastructure Coalition

The current housing affordability crisis in california, coupled with stagnant wages for teachers and school district staff, has contributed to high teacher turnover and widespread teacher shortages. In response, school districts have begun to develop employee housing programs as a strategy to recruit and retain high-quality teachers and staff. This study provides a detailed look…

This is a video of interviews with different community members who attended the Flood Fair to learn more about sea level rise and community resilience.

Education Workforce Housing in California: Developing the 21st Century Campus, a new report and companion handbook from cityLAB, Center for Cities + Schools, and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, provides a comprehensive overview of the potential for land owned by school districts to be designed and developed for teachers and other employees. Developed in…

Under California’s new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) K-12 funding system, Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) must address “school facilities in good repair. ” (as defined in California Education Code § 17002d). This webinar will give participants the knowledge and tools to actively participate in their school districts good repair plan. (Sponsored by The…

This article talks about the imprtant role Y-PLAN plays in connecting students with real life community partners. It also argues that the students’ proposals could be used to propel plans in the community.

These maps and findings address the current transportation infrastructure in place for students with disabilities in the San Francisco Unified School District. 

California lawmakers are debating the future of the state’s role in providing school construction and modernization funds to local school districts – a school facility funding role the state has played since 1947. Previous statewide school construction bond authority is exhausted. To inform this policy debate, our paper describes the role each of the 50 states plays…

“Understanding and lifting up the role that young people play in driving healthy, equitable policies in their schools and cities Assessing how PLUS & Y-PLAN prepare civic leaders to respond to the needs of young people when crafting policy Envisioning how cities and schools collect and utilize data to demonstrate positive outcomes for young people…

In 2010, The California Endowment (TCE) launched a 10-year, $1 billion Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative in 14 target communities across the state. South Sacramento was one of these selected target areas. This report looks at what changes have been catalyzed by Sacramento Building Healthy Communities investments in SCUSD on institutional practice and policy at…

In partnership with the SFUSD, this research project utilizes official documents and key stakeholder interviews ot create landscape analysis that attempts to address the following question: What community development initiatives will support and improve the educational attainment of pre-k to 12th grade youth attending SFUSD schools located in the Bayview neighborhood and what connections between…

This book summarizes two decades of civic youth engagement from California to New York to Japan. It offers a set of best practices for urban planners seeking to reimagine our cities for and with young people.

How can the Hunters View HOPE SF housing revitalization project respond to the special needs of children and youth? This is the question explored by 3rd and 4th grade students in Mr. Moore and Ms. Fredrikson’s classes at Malcolm X Academy. Working with the Center for Cities + Schools and the San Francisco Chapter of…

This article discusses the ways in which schools affect urban development and transportation, acknowledging that their location, design, and physical condition may be some of the most important determinants of neighborhood vitality. As California continues to grow and the state continues to make significant investments in public school facilities, crafting a vision and strategic supporting…

Schools serving low-income communities of color are often in disrepair and untidy. The condition of a school’s facilities leads to student tardiness increasing their likelihood of not preforming well in class. Additionally, this blog argues that it makes students feel like they do not deserve to be in a clean school.

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Teaching this subject has moved from reading textbooks to students designing their own potential spaces — which experts say promotes key life skills.

In partnership with the California Department of Education, CC+S designed and facilitated a two-day roundtable (October 15-16, 2008), convening 75 national and state education and design leaders to explore the relationship between school design and learning and to generate recommendations for improved state policy on school design. From this “public research” event, CC&S crafted a…

This brief introduces HUD and others to CC&S’s 10 PLUS Mechanics of Change, an evidence-based framework for building healthy, equitable and sustainable communities through integrated city-public school initiatives that simultaneously leverage innovations in the built environment, educational practice and governance policies.

The Mercury News takes a look at all of the work that Y-PLAN Students are doing in the Bay Area to help people gain more access to affordable housing

Vincent, Jeffrey M., Miller, Ruth, and Dillon, Lianne California Journal of Politics and Policy, vol. 9, no. 3 As California looks to implement a Health in All Policies approach into state decision making, and weave health, equity, and environmental sustainability into more policies, a better understanding of the relationship between school siting and walkability is…

This report takes a comprehensive look at the state of K-12 school facilities in California, focusing on state-level policies and funding patterns. The recommendations lay out a detailed framework that re-envisions the state’s role in K-12 infrastructure to appropriately support educational quality and contribute to healthy, sustainable communities goals. Our hope is that this report…

CC+S testimony at the Joint Informational Hearing for the California Senate Committee on Housing and Transportation and the Senate Select Committee on State School Facilities: “Schools as Centers of Sustainable Communities: A Vision for Future School Facility Construction,” December 15, 2009.

K-12 public school facilities need regular investment to ensure student health and safety and support educational programming. Yet, the future of K-12 school facility funding in California is uncertain. A strong state-local partnership has existed that funded new construction, modernization, and other investments in public school facilities across the state since 1998, under the School…

100 students from the Tohoku region in Japan participated in a 3 week long Y-PLAN studio where they stayed in UC Berkeley. The students drafted proposals for the city of Richmond in the first half of the project and in the latter half the students created projects for their communities back home.

This field report describes how high school students from Richmond, California used an innovative educational strategy called Y-PLAN (Youth – Plan, Learn, Act, Now) to actively participate in the planning and transformation of their school, neighborhoods and city. Our description follows students through the five-step YPLAN process, highlighting how they effectively challenged the ways in…

To address the fragmentation of Oakland’s public schools, this report recommends developing a shared vision at the school and district levels and incorporating service partners into the life and culture of school sites.

One way to serve healthier school meals is by incorporating “scratch-cooking” techniques, whereby many or most of the ingredients are prepared onsite from a raw and/or minimally processed form, into school food service programs. However, the vast majority of public school kitchens across the U.S. and in California are not designed and/or equipped to scratch…

This study documented the growth in K-12 school construction and renovation spending across the country between 1995 and 2005. Our analysis finds disparities in spending by student incomes, neighborhood incomes, and race.

California’s ongoing school construction investment and innovations in public education, coupled with the new infrastructure planning approach in SB 375, create a strategic opportunity to make land use decisions that better support students, families, and communities.

As the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, rapidly spread across the globe in Spring 2020, one of the most widely implemented risk reduction measures utilized was to physically close all school buildings. Reopening America’s public schools for site-based instruction safely amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (without a vaccine) is remarkably complicated and hotly debated. Operating healthy school…

CC+S chapter in the book Changing Places: How Communities Will Improve the Health of Boys of Color (edited by Christopher Edley, Jr. and Jorge Ruiz de Velasco; University of California Press 2010). The book draws attention to the urgent need— both economic and moral—to better understand the policy and community- based factors that serve as…

CC+S partnered with the California Strategic Growth Council and the California Department of Education to host an invited roundtable, bringing together local and state leaders together to discuss promising strategies for linking public schools to the creation of healthy, sustainable communities. Topics included, integrating schools into regional Sustainable Communities Strategies and local planning activities, school…

This article introduces the Resilient by Design competition and it’s focus on Bay Area sea level rise. It also shows the 9 regions the design teams will be working with, which are the regions Y-PLAN students also worked with in this partnership.

Schools trying to be integrated and serve their local communities often face a challenging question: Are “diversity” and “walkability” compatible? This summary document, drawn from a national dialogue among leaders in health and public education, with accompanying research, answers this question in the affirmative. The report highlights key obstacles and outlines the full range of factors that…

This report focuses in particular on RHEP as a platform for developing a district-wide

This paper was chosen for Smart Growth Network’s compendium, The National Conversation on the Future of Our Communities, in February 2013. The project’s aim is to start a conversation on thorny issues the smart growth movement has yet to resolve, issues that have received too little attention, and issues that have escaped us altogether. Our…

This report is a formative evaluation of Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) Newcomer Teacher Wellness Mini-Grant. It includes a background of the program’s inception, with a focus on the key role that teacher coordinators played in supporting wellness activities. After illustrating the broad support around wellness activities, it delves into how newcomer teachers feel about…

On December 6, 2012, UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities & Schools, in collaboration with the California Department of Education, California Department of Public Health, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Strategic Growth Council, and Health in All Policies Task Force, brought together leaders from across California to discuss the alignment of important policy agendas: ensuring…

High school students took a plan for housing for low income families that they took to Facebook and got donations to create this project.

CC+S joins PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education) to explore California’s historic $82 billion school construction investment opportunity to advance educational quality and lift local communities. This report contributes to a new conversation about how mindful school construction decisions can enrich metropolitan areas and sustainable forms of regional development.

Fifth grade students were invited to participate in the planning process for the 2040 San Rafael General Plan. The students will be using the Y-PLAN to work on the General Plan.