This report examines the fiscal and labor resources of California principals and how they acquire and utilize them to improve student performance. The authors seek to understand the background characteristics and educational goals of California principals, as well as the types of monetary, human, and informational resources they acquire and how they allocate these resources within their schools. The report also explores the support and constraints that principals experience from various actors as they attempt to acquire and deploy resources to raise student performance.

The report explores the impact of teacher sorting, or the tendency for high-achieving students to be assigned to more effective teachers, on student achievement. It finds that teacher sorting has a significant positive effect on student achievement in both math and English language arts. The effects are particularly strong for students who start out low-achieving. The report argues that policies aimed at reducing teacher sorting, such as random assignment of students to teachers, may be counterproductive for student achievement.

The Teaching and California's Future initiative provides policymakers with data on the teacher workforce and labor market. The initiative's annual report details teacher development policies and their impact on teacher quality and distribution. The goal is to help policymakers make informed decisions about strengthening the state's teacher workforce.

The quality of teaching and the need to expand California's ranks of excellent teachers demand urgent public discussion. We must attract the best and brightest to teaching, prepare them effectively, and support and retain them. Solutions require bipartisan leadership, not spin. This report presents the latest research and projections, highlighting that while some numbers are improving, we're likely to face severe shortages again soon and the pipeline for recruiting, preparing, and training teachers has substantial problems.

California's aging teacher workforce will lead to a significant demand for teachers, with shortages particularly in special education and secondary education. The number of underprepared teachers in low-performing schools serving minority, poor, and ELL students is disproportionate. Budget cuts have reduced funding for recruitment and professional development programs, and California's induction system needs refinement. Curriculum-based professional development programs have mainly targeted elementary school teachers, neglecting the training needs of secondary teachers.

This report argues that the state of California needs to prioritize better education for all children with a sustained long-term investment of resources and leadership. Despite political upheaval and fiscal problems, there is a consensus for better education. The authors suggest that the issue requires a response as intense and sustained as the state's response to natural disasters, and calls for a system of teacher development to ensure all teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet academic standards.

This policy brief discusses state initiatives in the US aimed at retaining and improving the quality of preschool and childcare staff, with a focus on California's $21 million annual investment. While K-12 reforms have been underway longer and are usually better-funded, early childhood education policymakers and educators will find valuable information about experimental efforts and lessons on systemwide reform.

Michigan State University's College of Education has established the nonpartisan Education Policy Center to provide lawmakers and educational leaders with accurate, research-based information to improve the state's educational system. With the support of the university's resources, the center aims to play an important role in deepening the policy debate and bringing about improvements in the system. The center was established due to a lack of systematic communication between researchers and policymakers in Michigan.

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides an opportunity to reconsider the federal role in teacher professional development. The largest federal professional development fund is the Eisenhower program. Lessons from Eisenhower and contemporary research suggest that federal funds should be focused exclusively on subject matter knowledge and pedagogy and accountability should be based on assessment of student learning. The purpose is to generate discussion on how to more effectively use federal dollars to improve student achievement.

The 1975 Rodda Act, also known as the Education Employment Relations Act, allowed California public school teachers to collectively bargain for employment terms. Similar laws exist in 37 states based on the National Labor Relations Act. This paper advocates for transforming education labor relations to position teachers and unions as leaders in creating a 21st century education institution. The authors hope to inform discussions on improving education quality for California's 5.2 million public school students.

Intergovernmental relations in education policy are dominated by regulations, programs, and technical assistance. A metaphor called "ecology of games" captures how each level of government maximizes its influence, affecting state and local policy-making. Classroom practice is limitedly influenced by intergovernmental policy, as local demands, taxes, and needs also play a role. State policies are easier to influence administrators than to change teaching. Each level of government tries to maximize its sphere of influence.

American education reform stresses the importance of principals as instructional leaders, but most are not effective in this role. Research suggests that innovative administrator training is needed to transform the role of site administrators. Content and process criteria have been identified, and several state-sponsored training programs have been established to meet them. One such program is the California School Leadership Academy, which provides a three-year program for aspiring and practicing site administrators with an emphasis on instructional leadership.

This article contends that school-linked services and education reform efforts are integrally related. Successful implementation of school-linked services requires new roles and responsibilities for all levels of school personnel. Drawing on general experience and citing specific examples from the New Beginnings experi­ence in San Diego, the article outlines these new roles and responsibilities for school superintendents, board members, principals, and teachers. It describes the plan­ning process involved, a process that includes an initial feasibility study and commu­nity needs assessment; a...

Traditionally, educational evaluation has focused on measuring student achievement and program performance. However, education reforms are now linking schooling to economic development, leading to a shift towards managerial expectations and politicization of the field. This article explains the human capital imperative and its relation to education, summarizes the history of educational evaluation, and outlines an alternative model for educational appraisal in the context of government-led education system reforms aimed at enhancing national economic growth.

An inventory of 30 California districts reveals their policy stance on teacher professional development, which primarily consists of skill acquisition through district-led programs. Other sources, such as universities or professional communities, are less visible. The districts are the dominant providers of development opportunities, with expenditures reflecting a ready marketplace of predetermined programs. Alternative routes to professional growth are less evident.

The Trust Agreement Project aimed to develop new forms of school organization and relationships among teachers and administrators. Six California school districts participated, each selecting an educational policy area for trust agreement development. Trust agreements produced role changes, fostered collaboration, and altered decision-making. These initial results show promise in leaping school districts from the 19th-century industrial model to a more appropriate 21st-century model.

The California Staff Development Policy Study was initiated to assess the possibilities and limitations of staff development in improving classroom teaching and learning. The study aims to answer four questions related to California's investment in staff development, how staff development activities are administered, and how teachers and administrators judge their effectiveness. The study yields eight main conclusions, presented in terms of investment and focusing on improving the capacities and commitments of California's educators.

In 1985, the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) convened a group of attorneys and education policy experts to discuss the effect of Senate Bill 813 on teacher dismissal. They explored varying interpretations of its provisions, contrasted practical experiences with legislative intentions, and outlined recommendations to improve the dismissal process. This summary analysis includes a brief discussion of relevant court rulings and no attempt has been made to update the information since its initial publication.

California aims to improve K-12 education by enhancing teacher recruitment and preparation, regulation, and professionalization. Proposed changes include establishing a California Teacher Standards Board, eliminating the emergency credential, and improving the Mentor Teacher Program. Balancing costs and practical progress toward healthier working conditions is a challenge, but a fully professionalized teaching force is key to future student success and California's position in the world.

California's credentialing issues are complex, with roots before statehood and ongoing challenges today. With a growing need for teachers, current and future policies will shape the workforce. The State and related agencies must attract qualified educators, but the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's performance is questioned. This report examines governance issues and suggests alternatives to improve the Commission and elevate the teaching profession, while offering historical context on past reform efforts to stimulate discussion and positive change.