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Charter Schools, School
Choice, Student Achievement
(PDF File) March, 2004
California began its experiment with charter schools in 1992,
enacting legislation allowing the state’s first charter
schools to begin operating in the 1993-94 school year. On February
5, 2004, the California Education Policy Seminar and the CSU Institute
for Education Reform, together with four co-sponsors, brought
together over 50 policy makers, educators and charter school experts
for a discussion on the success of charter schools and school
choice, and factors influencing that success.
Giving Kids a Chance: Investing in
Early Care and Education
(PDF File)
February, 2002
In February 2002, the California
Education Policy Seminar and the California State University Institute for
Education Reform sponsored a discussion of the effectiveness of early care
and education programs and the steps that California is taking to enhance
school readiness. This report documents the proceeds at the seminar. The
presentations are summarized, along with highlights of the question-and-answer
exchanges that followed the presentations.
Characteristics and Performance of Advanced
Placement Classes in California
(PDF File) June, 2001
This is a follow-up study conducted by the
CSU Institute for Education Reform and is supported by funding from the
Stuart Foundation. This report updates findings from "The Advanced
Placement Program: California's 1997-98 Experience," printed in July 1999
to the 1999-2000 school year. It also presents the results of a survey of
360 randomly-selected AP teachers which attempted to assess the
characteristics of AP classes in low- and high- SES schools and the
factors associated with high and low performance on the AP exams.
Middle School
Extended-Year Proposal: Theory and Practice
(PDF File)
February, 2001
Out of the several education
initiatives put forth in Governor Gray Davis' budget proposal for 2001-02,
his plan to provide longer instructional time for middle school students
is emerging as the most controversial, prompting vigorous discussion by
policy makers, educators, parents, and students. On January 26, 2001, the
California Education Policy Seminar and the California State University
Institute for Education Reform sponsored a discussion on the middle school
extended-year proposal. More than 50 educators, state policy makers, and
education researchers attended the session to discuss key components of
the proposal. This report documents a summary of the discussions that took
place.
Immediate
Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program
(PDF File)
January, 2001
The Immediate
Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP) was created in 1999
with the goal of bringing additional resources and specific improvement
strategies to many of the schools whose students rank in the bottom half
of state test scores.
On October 10, 2000, the California Education
Policy Seminar and the California State University Institute for Education
Reform sponsored a discussion on the Immediate
Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program. More than 60 educators,
state policy makers, education researchers and elected officials attended
the session. The session began with presentations by four external
evaluators who have partnered with underperforming schools under the
program. In addition, comments were provided by three designated
"respondents." This report documents the proceedings at the seminar and
includes background material on the II/USP.
Peer Assistance
and Review: Working Models Accross the Country
(PDF File) April,
2000
Based on a video teleconference (co-sponsored by the
California Office of the Secretary for Education, the CSU Institute for
Education Reform, and the California County Superintendents Educational
Services Association) and other resource material, this report looks at
PAR in the diverse districts that participated in the video
teleconference, summarizes key program elements and shares commentary from
many of the people who were instrumental in forming the programs. The
report concludes with an appendix that includes a list of suggested
reading and further resources, as well as a copy of the California law.
The Advanced
Placement Program: California's 1997-98 Experience
(PDF File)
August, 1999
This study, conducted by the CSU
Institute for Education Reform and supported by funding from the Stuart
Foundation, spotlights the nature of the Advanced Placementıs (AP) program
availability, participation, and test performance for a single year in
Californiaand in so doing, provides valuable insight into the status of
the program today.
Effective
Instruction for English Language Learners
(PDF File) March,
1999
California is rethinking the content of instruction of
ESL students, along with the preparation and qualifications of ESL
teachers, in light of the recently enacted "Unz Initiative," Proposition
227. In November, the CSU Institute for Education Reform (IER) and the
California Education Policy Seminars (CEPS) co-sponsored a forum on
Effective Instruction for English Language Learners. This document
represents a summary of the forum's presentations and the subsequent
discussion.
Charter Schools:
National Context, California Experience
(PDF File) December,
1998
Since the first charter school law was passed in
Minnesota in 1991, there has been an enormous interest in this alternative
form of public schooling. In October, more than 40 charter school
practitioners, educators, state policy makers, elected school board
officials, education researchers and others attended a roundtable
discussion on charter schools. The seminar proceedings are summarized in
Charter Schools: National Context, California Experience.
Doing What Matters
Most: Investing in Quality Teaching
(PDF File) May,
1998
A forum of 48 policy makers, administrators,
educators, and policy advocates gathered to hear Dr. Linda
Darling-Hammond, Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching
and America's Future, discuss her work in the area of teacher quality. Her
presentation covered research on the effect of teacher quality on student
achievement and recommendations for improving teacher quality. The seminar
proceedings are summarized in Doing What Matters Most: Investing in
Quality Teaching.
Putting
Schools to the Test: California's NAEP Scores and the National Testing
Plan
(PDF File) January, 1998
Test score trends and future testing prospects were examined by a group
of California policy makers, administrators, educators, and policy
advocates when they gathered to hear Marshall S. Smith, Acting Deputy U.S.
Secretary of Education, discuss existing tools for national monitoring of
student achievement and prospects for a new national testing system.
Paying For
What You Need: Knowledge- and Skill-Based Approaches to Teacher
Compensation
(PDF File) September, 1997
Teacher compensation issues were discussed at a seminar co-sponsored by
the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), Policy Analysis
for California Education (PACE), the California State University Institute
for Education Reform, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning,
and the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. This is a summary of
the presentations made by CPRE researchers Allan Odden, Carolyn Kelley,
and Tony Milanowski. Moderated by PACE co-director Gerald Hayward, the
seminar focused on general compensation issues and concepts, as well as
examples of districts that have tried implementing knowledge- and
skill-based pay elements.
Lessons in
Perspective: How Culture Shapes Math Instruction in Japan, Germany and the
United States
(PDF) June, 1997
The quality of math instruction in the United States has evolved over
time into one of our great national pressure points of anxiety. As the
global economy has become progressively more demanding of workers' math
skills and U.S. test scores have remained mediocre in international
comparisons, a series of predictable cries have gone out: What are we
doing wrong? What are they doing right? And how can we catch up?
The Digital
Challenge: Integrating Educational Technology into California
Classrooms
(PDF) June, 1997
Computers are basic, essential teaching and learning tools for any
schoolthat aims to prepare its students for the brave new technology-rich
worldawaiting them. As communications, research and databasing tools,
computersoffer unprecedented reach and speed, while as platforms for
constructingmultimedia reports and presentations they offer increasingly
amazing standardsof both sophistication and ease of use. Computers have
thoroughly permeatedAmerican commerce, and estimates are that by the year
2000, 60 percent ofall jobs in the United States will require a working
knowledge of computer-basedinformation technologies.
PIPELINE TO THE FUTURE:
A Statewide Teacher Recruitment Plan for California
(HTML)
April, 1997
Issues related to teacher quality and supply have been a part of the
policy dialogue surrounding California's education system virtually since
its inception. The demand for more and better teachers has been a constant
companion to California's growth and emergence as an engine of both
technological and sociological innovation. This report explores issues and
arguments relating to the teacher shortage in this state, from the effects
of class size reduction to the potential benefits of recent recruitment
and retention efforts and the improved fiscal outlook for education.
Is Less More?
Exploring California's Class Size Reduction Act
(PDF) November,
1996
On September 18, 1996 a group of 50 state officials, local education
leaders and academics gathered in Sacramento to discuss both the immediate
questions raised by the rapid implementation of the California Class Size
Reduction Act, and the larger analytical questions raised by the
legislation. These questions include:
- What kinds of professional development measures are necessary to
insure that class size reduction has its intended effects?
- What type of evaluation can help state officials, local educators
and the general public determine the effectiveness of the program?
- Are there changes in the legislation that need to be considered when
the Legislature reconvenes?
- And, most fundamentally, is class size reduction in and of itself
likely to effect the improvements in student achievement sought through
the implementation of this program?
In addition to a general discussion of these issues and concerns, the
seminar featured two guest presenters who offered their own research
findings and insights to the participants: Dr. Jeremy Finn of the State
University of New York, Buffalo, and Dr. Robert Slavin of Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore. This report is a result of that seminar and
contains the complete presentations of the two guest presenters.
School
Reforms that Work: Successful Strategies for Educating At-Risk Youth
(PDF) October, 1996
Also known as The Stringfield Report, this report comes out of a
discussion sponsored by the California Education Policy Seminar and The
California State University Institute for Education Reform in October
1996.
A State of Emergency
in a Stateof Emergency Teachers
(HTML) September,
1996
The theme of this report is unequivocal: quality schools begin with
quality teachers. As long as emergency teachers occupy California
classrooms, the rhetoric of strengthening academic standards will remain
hollow and hypocritical. In issuing this report, our goal is not to
criticize any state agency or school district, but rather to stimulate a
long overdue debate and action on a pressing problem facing California's
public education system.
Building A Powerful
Reading Program from Research to Practice
(HTML) February,
1996
Over the last two years California has seen a decline in the reading
test scores of its students and increased concern among educators and
parents, along with renewed interest and accelerated research into the
teaching of reading. In the Fall of 1995, the State Superintendent of
Public Instruction issued a report from the Reading Task Force that called
for balance in the way reading is taught. Since that report, many schools
and districts have been attempting to design and implement comprehensive
programs. This document lays out the current research base along with
proven practices for effective literacy instruction, particularly in the
early grades. In addition, recommendations are included for preservice and
inservice education that will guarantee a well-prepared teaching force to
tackle the complexities of literacy and teach all of our children to read
well.
School Choice: Lessons
Learned A Retrospective on Assembly Bills 1114 and 19
(HTML)
February, 1996
California's voucher movement gained momentum during the early 1990s.
The major legislative vehicle for vouchers, the initiative known as
Proposition 174, ultimately failed by a substantial margin when put before
the voters in November 1993. However, in the course of a long campaign
hard-fought on both sides, acceptance grew in the state's education
establishment of the separate concept of allowing greater consumer choice
among public schools. Public school choice differs significantly from
voucher proposals in not providing any taxpayer subsidy to private
schools.
Two bills were enacted in 1993 as a direct result of this latter
development. Assembly Bill 1114, by Assembly Member Dede Alpert, required
local school districts to permit intra-district student transfers.
Assembly Bill 19, by Assembly Member Charles Quackenbush, authorized
districts to permit inter-district student transfers.
The Teachers who
Teach our Teachers Report
(PageMaker, Mac) February,
1996
In order to offer ideas for new directions to improve the operation of
California State University (CSU) teacher education programs, the
Institute for Education Reform launched a review of all these programs
within the CSU system. Every campus was visited and extensive
conversations were held with the Deans of Education and hundreds of
teacher education faculty and staff. Also consulted were teacher educators
from outside the system, recent teacher education graduates and their K-12
employers. This report summarizes the findings from these campus visits
and contains recommendations for improving teacher education in
California.
Education Reform: Implications and Responsibilities
for K-12 and Higher Education
(PageMaker, Mac) November, 1995
The K-12 educational reforms of the past decade have lead to
significant changes in statewide policies and local practices. The
California State University Institute for Education Reform and the
Intersegmental Coordinating Committee, under the auspices of the
California Education Round Table, sponsored an intersegmental symposium to
discuss implications of the K-12 reforms for higher education in an effort
to identify ways in which postsecondary institutes can be more supportive
of changes and reforms. This is a summary of the symposium which served as
a forum for an open exchange of perspectives and ideas by representatives
from different educational segments.
State
Policies and School Restructuring: Experiences With the Senate Bill
1274
(PDF) September, 1995
With strong support from the California Business Round Table and
bipartisan support in the California Legislature, Senate Bill 1274 was
signed into law in 1990. It created a competitive grant program to
demonstrate how schools can be restructured to give staff and parents the
flexibility and authority they need to reorganize their local schools for
greater student learning. This report summarizes a seminar convened to
discuss individual experiences and how restructuring schools for better
teaching and learning could be further supported and encouraged.
Teachers &
Teaching Report: Recommendations for Policy Makers
(PDF)
December, 1994
What has been learned about good teaching and effective teacher
education over the last 10 years? The following points emerged from a
two-day session of the california Education Policy Seminar:
- good teaching has been identified by research as the key to
school success and school reform.
- knowledge of effective teaching and teacher education has
been expanded and refined.
- what works and what doesn't in teaching and teacher
preparation can now be clearly defined.
This publication presents the highlights of the conference discussions
and a set of policy recommendations that call for important changes in how
California prepares and further develops the teachers who run our
classrooms.
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