Thomas Timar
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Thomas Timar
Professor Emeritus,
University of California, Davis
Thomas Timar is professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Education. He also served as director of the UC Davis Center for Applied Policy Analysis for California Education and was a member of the steering committee for Policy Analysis for California Education. His areas of expertise include education finance, policy, and governance. Before coming to UC Davis, he was an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside. He received his PhD in educational policy (law and finance) from the University of California, Berkeley.
updated 2018
Publications by Thomas Timar
How Rural District Networks Can Drive Continuous Improvement
Rural school districts face unique challenges in procuring funds, recruiting staff, and obtaining high-quality technical assistance. This environment creates problems in identifying high-quality instructional materials and implementing best…
Rural District Implementation of Common Core State Standards
In August 2010, the California State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Three years later, the president of the State Board, Dr. Michael Kirst, noted that CCSS “changes almost everything,” including what teachers…
How Districts Responded to Flexibility in Tier 3 Categorical Funds in 2010–2011
California's system of school finance is highly regulated and prescriptive. A large share of state funding is allocated through categorical programs, that is, programs whose funding is contingent upon districts using the money in a particular way or…
How 10 Districts Responded to Fiscal Flexibility, 2009–2010
In a new report, “Deregulating School Aid in California: How 10 Districts Responded to Fiscal Flexibility, 2009–2010,” Bruce Fuller, Julie Marsh, Brian Stecher and Tom Timar detail how leaders in 10 California school districts are responding to the…