Jason Willis

Jason Willis
Jason Willis
Director of Strategy & Performance in the Comprehensive School Assistance Program (CSAP),
WestEd

Jason Willis is the director of strategy and performance in the Comprehensive School Assistance Program (CSAP) at WestEd. He oversees CSAP’s performance and accountability practice, which helps states and school districts align their policies, strategies, and accountability practices to achieve more equitable education outcomes. Willis has worked with states, national education organizations, and commissions (including the states of Maryland, Louisiana, California, Kansas; the National Governor’s Association; and the National Equity and Excellence) to develop funding and accountability systems. Willis has previously served as the assistant superintendent of community engagement and accountability for the San Jose Unified School District, the chief financial officer at the Stockton Unified School District, and budget director at the Oakland Unified School District. He received his master’s in education policy and finance from Teachers College, Columbia University.

updated 2020

Contributing topics
Access, quality & alignment in early childhood education
College access & postsecondary success
Continuous school improvement & support
Education finance
Educational governance & policy
Educator workforce & effectiveness
Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Contributing initiatives
Continuous Improvement and Support Systems in California
COVID-19 Recovery
Getting Down to Facts II
LCFF Research Collaborative
Organizing Schools to Serve Students with Disabilities
Jason Willis in the Media
: The Right Priorities? Reactions to Gov. Newsom’s K–12 Budget Proposal
: Getting Our Resource and Educational Equity Bearings
: Special Education Funding Should Be More Streamlined, New Report Finds
: In the Right Direction? Perspectives on Gov. Newsom’s Education Budget
: Highlights from the 2020 Breaking Barriers Symposium
Publications by Jason Willis
Publication Cover
Securing and Protecting Education Funding in California
A Summary Brief
California and the rest of the country are enduring a pandemic-induced economic recession, and school and district leaders are bracing for the fallout. Funding for California schools had improved rapidly between 2013 and 2019, with districts…
GDTFII Brief LCFF
The Local Control Funding Formula After Four Years
What Do We Know?
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on July 1, 2013, represents the first comprehensive change in the state’s education funding system in 40 years. The LCFF eliminates nearly all categorical funding streams…
Towards a Common Vision of Continuous Improvement for California
Under emerging policy structures in California, the responsibility for school improvement is increasingly placed upon local school districts, with County Offices of Education (COEs) playing a critical support role. In this system, districts are…
Continuous Improvement in Practice
Calls for “continuous improvement” in California’s K-12 education system are central to current discussions about school improvement in the state. Yet, definitions of continuous improvement vary, and knowledge of what continuous improvement looks…