When it comes to implementing policies that will shape education, research is a critical starting point, says Heather Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), a nonpartisan center led by faculty members at five universities in California, including Stanford.

“We need evidence to make good decisions in our education system, and now is a particularly ripe time for that,” says Hough. “In California, we have a new governor and a new state superintendent who were just elected, and tremendous change has happened over the past ten years.”

Getting Down to Facts II, a new report from PACE, contains findings from 35 separate studies that look at what’s working well and what needs to be improved about education in California today. In this episode of School’s In, Hough sat down with Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and Senior Lecturer Denise Pope to share those findings and talk about how to put the necessary changes into action.

You can listen to School’s In on SiriusXM Insight channel 121, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud and the School’s In web page in GSE News and Media.