Rural school districts face challenges in obtaining funds and technical assistance. Pivot Learning's Rural Professional Learning Network (RPLN) provides access to resources and collaboration for districts to improve instructional programs. The RPLN model can cost-effectively provide expertise and build a professional culture. Recommendations for future networks include a shared focus with site-specific work, intentional community building, and a data-driven improvement process.

Effective data use is crucial for continuous improvement, but there is confusion about how it differs from data use for other purposes. This report explains what data are most useful for continuous improvement and presents a case study of how the CORE data collaborative uses a multiple-measures approach to support decision-making.

California's implementation of Common Core State Standards and Local Control Funding Formula requires new support systems for districts, including professional networks and the California Department of Education. Successful implementation requires multiagency cooperation and strategic management of relations with Washington.

Continuous improvement in education involves engaging stakeholders in problem-solving to discover, implement, and spread evidence-based changes that work locally to improve student success. California sees it as central to enduring education transformation. It requires an initial significant investment in time and money to make it a reality, but can improve education quality. However, California's data systems are inadequate for helping districts monitor progress, and more training and coaching are needed to build expertise for statewide implementation.

CA is shifting the responsibility for school improvement to local school districts with County Offices of Education playing a supportive role. The focus is on local leaders driving educational improvement and ensuring quality. Strategic data use is central to the implementation of this policy, with questions remaining about what data is needed, by whom, and for what purpose. This paper provides a framework for how data use for improvement is different from data use for accountability and shares lessons from the CORE Data Collaborative on how to use data for improvement in networked structures.

California needs a longitudinal data system to improve student outcomes. Meanwhile, regional partnerships between education institutions and community organizations are using data to improve outcomes. A guide was created to help leaders with data sharing and use, and presents the components of effective regional efforts around data sharing and use, with tools to dive deeper into specific factors within each component. The guide aims to serve as a framework, tool for reflection, and networking resource for intersegmental leaders.

Teacher recruitment and retention are critical responsibilities of school districts. The challenge of finding, supporting and retaining good teachers requires innovative solutions collaboratively developed by diverse stakeholders. This brief highlights the efforts of four Northern California school districts to address human resource challenges and hire, develop and retain high quality teachers, which represent promising strategies for other districts across California.

Flexible funding formulas have made high-quality summer learning programs more accessible for school districts seeking to close the achievement gap. Programs that combine engaging summer camp activities with intentional learning goals can help students develop a love of learning and prevent summer learning loss. These programs incorporate lesson plans and evaluations of learning into a fun and engaging environment.

The shift towards multiple-measure dashboard accountability has potential for promoting more meaningful learning, but also comes with challenges. Lessons learned from research on CORE Districts show that a shift to flexibility and capacity building efforts has challenges. Oakland Unified School District's approach suggests that districts have agency to modify mindsets by modeling inquiry, openness, and flexibility, giving stakeholders space and authority to manage accountability and improvement.

Child poverty in California limits educational success for disadvantaged children, but schools struggle to identify effective solutions. Colombia's Escuela Nueva model has successfully educated marginalized rural children since 1975, raising academic and non-cognitive outcomes in tens of thousands of schools worldwide. This brief describes how Escuela Nueva works and discusses how California's schools might implement core aspects of the model to better serve disadvantaged students.

This brief explores the concept of "continuous improvement" in California's K-12 education system, defining it as a shared, evidence-based process that requires a change in culture and a substantial investment of time and resources. Interviews with education leaders reveal the need for capacity building and data use, as well as barriers including a lack of clarity and resources. Implementing continuous improvement system-wide requires a shift in mindset and culture, persistent effort, and a focus on student outcomes.

California policy shifts gave school districts more control, but many lack expertise and capacity for improvement. The CORE districts applied continuous improvement in a Networked Improvement Community to close the math achievement gap for African American and Hispanic/Latino students. The four lessons learned were: create an improvement team, refine theories through systems analysis, interpret different data, and benefit from expert facilitation. Investment in continuous improvement can lead to powerful insights and reform.

Achievement gaps in education cannot be solved by looking at the school day alone, as young people also have varied experiences outside of school. Free and affordable learning experiences after school and in the summer are essential strategies for equalizing student outcomes. California districts have greater regulatory and financial flexibility to address achievement gaps under the Local Control Funding Formula. This brief describes how local education leaders are mobilizing expanded learning to close the opportunity gap and recommends key steps for districts.

The Local Control Funding Formula gives local education leaders more power to allocate resources, but requires strategic budgeting practices to prioritize goals and make necessary tradeoffs. Three recommendations include integrating budgeting with strategic planning, focusing on critical questions, and developing internal structures to sustain strategic budgeting. These practices improve district policies and performance of local schools and students.

California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) aims to improve educational equity by providing additional funds to districts with disadvantaged students. Districts are required to engage with their communities and develop Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to identify priorities and allocate funds. However, there are concerns about the quality of LCAPs, lack of stakeholder involvement, and limited transparency. To improve the effectiveness of LCFF, districts must ensure meaningful stakeholder engagement and use data to guide decision-making.

California's education system is fragmented, with separate governance structures and funding sources for K-12, community colleges, and universities. To address educational issues, intersegmental partnerships are needed to promote collaboration among the different segments. Local partnerships can strengthen alignment in standards and expectations between K-12 and post-secondary education and help students progress through the system more efficiently.

California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) requires districts to report student performance measures and use state and local data to monitor progress towards preparing students for college, career, and citizenship. Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) utilized principles of Improvement Science and a data dashboard to increase college access for students, in partnership with the University of California, Merced.

California is implementing four new policy initiatives for education, including the Common Core State Standards and a new accountability system. PACE provides research-based information to help drive continuous improvement in schools. Alternative schools are available for vulnerable students, but the current accountability system does not adequately address their needs. The California Department of Education is considering the development of a new accountability system for alternative schools that aligns with Local Control Accountability Plans.

California and the US are undergoing a cultural shift in school accountability policies towards locally-determined measures of school performance. Lessons can be learned from the CORE districts, which developed an innovative accountability system, emphasizing support over sanctions, and utilizing multiple measures of school quality. The CORE districts' measurement system and collaboration hold promise for improving local systems, but efforts to build capacity remain a work in progress.

ESSA allows states to design accountability systems and measures to meet new college and career readiness goals. With the lack of adequate measures, states will need to develop new measures and structures. The CORE Districts in CA, with its innovative accountability system and waivers from No Child Left Behind, is a model for other states. Reports from CORE-PACE highlight the impact of decisions such as subgroup sizes and test score growth on identifying low-performing schools. States can use the district waiver provision to help develop and refine their accountability systems under ESSA.

This report examines the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how schools can be identified for support and improvement using a multiple measures framework. The authors find that different academic indicators measure different aspects of school performance and suggest that states should be allowed to use multiple measures instead of a summative rating. They also find that non-academic indicators are not given enough weight and suggest a clarification in federal policy.

Policy changes in California create an opportunity to improve education for 1.4 million English learner students. Research suggests improving classification and alignment between services, systematic data collection and improving opportunities in schools. This could benefit large numbers of students without requiring large investments.

California's new accountability system aims to provide meaningful learning for students, allocate resources to schools and districts based on student needs, and offer professional development for educators. The system holds schools and districts accountable through Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), professional accountability, and performance accountability across eight priority areas. This system is a departure from the state's previous policy of setting performance targets based on standardized test scores.

California adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010 to provide clear learning standards for math and English from kindergarten to Grade 12. CCSS requires a change in teaching approaches, moving away from memorization and towards problem-solving and evidence-based arguments. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) coincides with CCSS implementation, and local actors must decide on strategies and resource allocation. The state still has key roles to play, but most decisions are made locally in consultation with parents and the community.

California has adopted new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), English Language Development (ELD) standards, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The state has provided funding to support CCSS implementation, and new curriculum frameworks are nearing completion. The report focuses on early implementers of CCSS to identify lessons learned and potential pitfalls, aiming to inform practitioners and policymakers about the variety of CCSS implementation strategies California school districts are choosing.