Governor Newsom’s first Budget Proposal increases funding for education in California. There are areas of substantive overlap in the Budget Proposal and research findings from the Getting Down to Facts II (GDTFII) research project, released in September 2018, which built an evidence base on the current status of California education and implications for paths forward. As the Budget moves from proposal to reality, it is critical that the evidence from GDTFII continues to inform the policy process.

California's teacher shortage is severe, affecting high-needs students and certain subjects such as math, science, special education, and bilingual education. Factors driving the shortage include new demands for teachers, declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, and teacher attrition. Schools are hiring teachers lacking standard credentials and formal training. Unequal teacher distribution's impact is hard to assess due to data limitations. The shortage threatens California's education initiatives.

California aims to improve the quality of teaching in its classrooms by focusing on teacher preparation and evaluation. The state's teacher preparation system aligns with standards but lacks consistent implementation. Disconnected information systems constrain policy-making, and teachers need better training for English learners. Teacher evaluation and support systems could enhance teaching effectiveness.

California's education system faces challenges in leadership development, with defunded professional development programs leading to inexperienced and high-turnover principals, particularly in high-poverty schools. Studies show that effective principals improve student learning, but current professional development opportunities are insufficient. Many principals seek more support, with rural areas receiving less coaching and development. Promising results have been seen from stronger state standards for administrator education programs.

California's policies for beginning teachers assume a uniform path of completing a preparation program, BTSA, earning a Clear Credential and tenure. However, a recent study shows that the policies fail to recognize the reality of a longer, bumpier and more circuitous path faced by the majority of beginning teachers.

Teacher evaluation is a powerful tool for improving public education, with classroom observations being essential. However, using student test scores and value-added measures is controversial. This brief recommends four key principles for observation-based assessment, including the use of standards-based instruments and non-administrator assessors. By partnering with teacher unions, California can successfully reform its evaluation system to improve instructional practice and accountability.

The policy brief examines the impact of QTEA on teacher recruitment, retention, and overall teacher quality in the San Francisco Unified School District. It provides evidence of the effectiveness of salary increases in attracting and hiring higher-quality teachers, and the importance of strategic hiring and retention efforts. The brief also highlights the need for teacher confidence in the longevity of such policies, and suggests the Local Control Funding Formula as a means to ensure sufficient funds for competitive teacher salaries.

This brief analyzes the relationship between teacher employment, collective bargaining laws, and school district policies in California. The authors examine the extent to which California's legal structure constrains or facilitates district-level discretion over teacher employment policies and practices. They classify various aspects of the teacher-school district employment relationship into four categories, and conclude that California statutory law is somewhat more constraining of administrative decision-making in teacher employment matters than in four other large and diverse states.

This brief evaluates the effectiveness of CA's Governor's Teaching Fellowship, which aimed to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers in low-performing schools by providing a $20K fellowship to individuals enrolled in traditional teacher licensure programs who agreed to teach in designated schools. The study found that financial incentives can attract skilled professionals to work with underserved populations, but alternative policy designs should also be explored for cost-effectiveness. The results of the evaluation have important implications for state and national education policy.