Crucial Issues in California Education 2006: Rekindling Reform

This report describes how California can rekindle school reform by building from recent successes. Californians will back a school system that is showing result and helping to equalize opportunities. The report highlights the following four policy shifts: (1) reorient school accountability and finance to boost low-performing students; (2) develop a coherent strategy for raising the achievement of English learners; (3) make school finance simple, transparent, and adequate for a high-standards school system; and (4) focus the State’s responsibility and deregulate with accountability. The sections of this report include: (1) “Education Finance in California,” (2) “Public School Accountability Today,” and (3) “Meeting the Needs of California’s Student Population.” The analyses support two key messages: (1) a school reform agenda that fails to close achievement gaps is not working; and (2) the current policy approach is long on rules and short on resources, an order that’s unlikely to motivate long-term gains inside schools.