This report examines the early implementation of California's Statewide System of Support, which is designed to empower local educators in determining the best approaches to improvement. While COEs and district officials hold positive views of the system's emphasis on support over compliance, they have concerns about under-resourcing and the effectiveness of the Dashboard measurement tool. The report provides five recommendations to make the System of Support a more comprehensive system aligned with the Local Control Funding Formula.

Marin County's schools face rising costs, particularly for pensions and declining enrollment, which is not sustainable. Teacher salaries and recruitment are affected, with limited public awareness of district flexibility to respond to rising pension costs. Parcel taxes have faced opposition, and a statewide funding solution is necessary to support student success and stop financial distress. Building awareness of pension costs' impact is essential, and benefits and salaries are necessary to retain teachers.

This case study examines the looming deficit faced by Sacramento City Unified School District and the challenges it poses for students, including declining enrollment, increasing special education and pension costs. It also highlights the impact of SCUSD's budget practices and labor-management relations on its current budget situation. The report offers considerations for policymakers, including addressing unaffordable teacher benefits and increasing funding. Although the district's fiscal crisis cannot be solved overnight, stabilizing the situation and restoring public confidence are crucial.

This case study explores the Garden Grove Unified School District's culture of improvement through four key structures and processes, including consistent goals, data-driven reform, vertical and horizontal structures, and prioritization of people. The district's culture prioritizes student outcomes, commitment, and high-quality teaching. Lessons from GGUSD are broadly applicable to other California districts seeking to foster a culture of improvement.

The CORE-PACE Research Partnership's report on Long Beach Unified School District highlights lessons learned from their continuous improvement approach to improving classroom instruction. This report describes four key practices that have led to improvements in organizational function, including shared clarity of purpose, structures for shared learning, differentiated support for instructional leaders, and deepening understanding of implementation. LBUSD's efforts offer valuable insights for other systems and leaders seeking to support continuous improvement.

A case study of Ayer Elementary School in Fresno, California, reveals leadership practices that foster continuous improvement in education. The report identifies three lessons for supporting improvement in other schools: access to district resources, a culture of continuous improvement, and teacher agency. The study highlights the importance of leadership skills in promoting a culture of risk-taking, teacher agency, and collective efficacy to improve student outcomes in California schools.

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.

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides base funding and grants for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth, and allows local school systems to allocate resources as they see fit. The LCFFRC conducted a survey of 350 California superintendents to understand their experiences with and views of the law. Results inform policymakers and indicate areas where changes may be needed. The survey sample included districts of varying sizes and proportions of unduplicated students.

California's LCFF is a significant change in education finance and governance that sends funds to districts based on student need and eliminates most categorical funding. The LCFF requires districts to engage with stakeholders and develop a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). The LCFF Research Collaborative identified districts with innovative implementation efforts in stakeholder engagement, implementation of California State Standards, and resource allocation decision-making. These positive examples can serve as models for others to learn and improve from.

Many parts of California, particularly rural and desert areas, are often overlooked by policymakers and researchers, despite the growing number of students attending school there. The Antelope Valley region has seen steady increases in student enrollment, particularly of Hispanic/Latino(a) and African American students, English learners, and foster youth. This report highlights the needs of the Antelope Valley Union High School District and its feeder districts, and calls for greater focus on supporting high-needs populations outside of urban centers.

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) gives districts funding authority and requires input from stakeholders to create Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) for equitable resource allocation and improved student outcomes. This report explores stakeholder engagement, implementation challenges, resource allocation, and equity using eight case studies. Despite limitations, this study offers valuable insights into California's K-12 education system's finance and governance.

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.

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's School-to-Work and Academy Demonstration programs aim to help disadvantaged high school students transition to work. This evaluation covers the 1986-87 school year and includes a process component that describes each program, and an outcome component that tracks program and non-program students on retention, attendance, credits earned, courses failed, grade point averages, standardized test scores, and surveys. Seven cities were included, with programs varying in structure and age. Evaluation of student outcomes showed varying effects from site to site.