Consensus Forum

League of Women Voters of California CONSENSUS REPORT FORM EDUCATION UPDATE STUDY 2003-2005

EQUITABLE ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION Is it the obligation of the state to provide equitable opportunities for teaching and learning systemwide such that every student will be able to meet mandated state standards and to graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to choose either postsecondary education or immediate entry into gainful employment or both? YES

A. If it is the obligation of the state to provide equitable opportunities as stated above, is the state currently meeting this constitutional obligation? NO

B. If the answer to 1.A. is "No" (1) What obstacles prevent it from doing so? * There is no clear agreement that this is a state rather than a local responsibility. * Lines of accountability are muddled and funding is inconsistent. * Many state and federal mandates are not fully funded. * The state ranks as one of the lowest of the 50 states in the per capita amount it spends on education. * Too many categorical funds tie the hands of local school boards to put the money where it is needed. * Too much testing and no authenticated assessment tool for all students. (2) What steps can be taken to improve the equitable delivery of quality public education to all students in California? * State and Feds should fully fund all mandates. * Provide incentives such as housing, in-house credentialing programs and stipends for fully qualified teachers so that they enter and remain in the profession. * Make kindergarten mandatory. * * Count ADA the way it used to be counted which included excused absences. * Provide funding for instructional materials, facilities and technological improvements. * Develop and fund parent outreach programs. (3) What are the elements that have to be provided if all students are to receive an equitable opportunity to learn? (check all that apply)

a. Fully qualified teachers X b. Safe school environment X c. Healthy facilities X d. Books/instructional supplies for all students X e. Parent involvement (including training) X f. Strong school site management X g. School facilities in good repair X h. Seats for all students X i. Basic educational necessities provided to some are provided to all X j. Effective state system of monitoring and accountability to assure all students in California receive basic educational necessities. X k. Elimination of modified calendars that provide fewer instructional days X l. Transportation X m. Release time for educators to work on educational programs. X n. Health services to ensure students come to school ready to learn. X o. Decrease class size in upper grades as in lower grades. X p. Put back all the enrichment programs, i.e., performing arts, science, field trips, physical education X
q. After-school programs, especially in poor neighborhoods X C. Charter Schools have been introduced since our last study of education. (1) Are charter schools helping students succeed? Don't know - Charter schools vary so much that comparisons are hard to make. They generally also get to pick and choose their students and don't have to follow the same regulations, criteria, and mandates as public schools. Some charter schools are helping students succeed, and some are not. However, several studies were done by reputable groups that indicate there is no conclusive data to indicate that students in charter schools perform better than students in traditional schools. Successful charter schools do provide an opportunity for low income/failing students to attend school in a "private-school-like" environment, which often results in more positive results for these students. The process of chartering schools warrants review. In many instances the Board which charters the school is geographically removed from its location, and because it does not have a vested interest, does not provide proper oversight. A school should be chartered only by local district or county boards of education in whose jurisdiction the school will be located. (2) What effect, if any, are they having on non-charter public schools? D. They have a negative financial impact on non-charter public schools because they redirect ADA away from those schools. A district must also provide How can the state assist individual school organizations (local districts and school sites) in providing what is needed to maximize the potential for every student to achieve?

There is a need to find out how much it actually costs to educate a student including students with special needs. Then the state should provide that funding. They should also fund anything they mandate local schools/districts to do. Allow more local control. The testing program should be realistic and not punitive. There should be more training on how boards, administrators do their job. Principals need to learn better methods to reach out to parents and reduce what, many times, is an adversarial relationship instead of a cooperative relationship with the welfare of the child as the focus.

E. A goal of the Master Plan for Education is to have every child enter school ready to learn. (1) Is this a worthy goal? Yes

(2) What proportion of students should be ready to learn to be successful in achieving this goal? (check one of the following): 70%__ 75%__ 80%__85%__ 90%__ 95%__ 100% X Less than 70% acceptable___ Less than 70% unacceptable X Explain: It is a worthy goal to have 100% of children enter school ready to learn, and various proposals for universal pre-school will help reach that goal. However, this is a costly program and funding for this program has not been defined yet. There are also many reasons why some children might not be ready, having to do with parental support, mental and physical disabilities, language development and after-school care.

(3) What interventions would be needed to make this happen? a. Universal access to voluntary preschool for all children? Yes b. Universal access for those most at risk? Other c. What about high-risk families who do not choose to enroll? There should be incentives for high-risk families who do not choose to enroll. Home visits by qualified public health nurses, educators and other professionals. Support from significant community members who are credible (church leaders, etc.) who can inform the parents as to the advantages of early participation in educational experiences. If you checked "other", what other interventions/options were discussed? Kindergarten should be made mandatory . More outreach programs to families through people they trust in the community to inform them of pre-school options.

(4) Does the Master Plan adequately address the parent as the child's first teacher? Comment: NO There needs to be an effort to bring the high-risk parent into the school. They should be provided with training and skills in parenting from infant to school age and beyond. They need information on the importance of participating in their child's education. Incentives should be offered. Children should receive wrap-around services. The Master Plan doesn't identify how a program to assist parents would be funded nor does it put enough emphasis on this important facet of a child's early education.
1. SCHOOL FINANCE A. Given the high standards that are now required of all students in California schools, in what ways can the state exercise its constitutional responsibility to provide sustainable, transparent, adequate, and timely funding to equitably meet the needs of all students?

• The state should pass its budget earlier so that districts know how much money they will have for the year. It is a very dysfunctional system at present. * The state should use the previous way of calculating ADA to include excused absences. Even if the student is absent, the lights must still be on, the teacher and other staff still are there and must be paid, and the present system is punitive and causes more costly record-keeping on the part of the schools/district. * Education code should be simplified and less restrictive. * Funding among districts should be equalized and adequate. A study needs to be done to determine how much it actually costs to educate a student, including students with special needs.

(1) Should the state set aside funds for specific purposes (i.e. categoricals, textbooks, needs of English Language Learners special education, low socio-economic, etc.)? Other Rationale:

The state should set aside funds for specific purposes, but they should be grouped into categories so that there is more flexibility for Districts to use the funds. We started with 40 categorical programs, now there are 120. Accountability will be improved by decreased reporting needed for fewer categorical programs.

(2) If the state does set aside funding for specific purposes, should the current categorical funding sources remain or should the state move to a block grant concept or weighted student formula for type of students served?

a. Keep current categorical funding system. b. Move to a block grant concept MODIFIED X c. Move to weighted student formula. d. Other X

If you answered other, please describe. Explained above. Reduce number of categoricals into block grants to assure that the categorical programs are funded, but the districts have more flexibility on how it is apportioned.

(3) To which level should state funds be given for local decision-making?

ALL FUNDS RESTRICTED FUNDS

COUNTY BOARD/COED School District Board/Superintendent 100 % School Site Council/School Governance Committee Principal

Comment: It was felt the Board and Superintendent should have the authority to allocate the funds as needed, i.e. School Site Council, Principal, etc.

(4) Should the state take action to make it possible for schools to seek new revenue locally? Current options for operational funds are parcel tax and Maintenance Assessment District. Explain: YES * The legislature should lower or put a measure on the ballot to lower the percentage needed to pass local bond and parcel tax measures to 55%. * The legislature should develop a teacher salary schedule based on cost of living in the area and whether the school is a low achieving school. This would provide incentives for teachers to teach at low-achieving schools and stop the "stealing" of teachers among districts because of higher salaries. * No unfunded mandates.

3. GOVERNANCE

A. At the state level, how can authority best be aligned with accountability? Current system is not working. Take politics out of education. Reform state K-12 governance structure. Too many individuals and agencies involved, and no single entity is held accountable. Evaluate the roles and effectiveness of the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, the appointed State Board of Education, the appointed Secretary for Education, the Legislature, and the Governor. Of these, only one or two should be assigned with the ultimate responsibility and accountability and given the authority and funding to take action. Only elected officials, such as the SPI, the Governor, and the Legislature should be considered, because they are accountable to the people and can be removed by popular vote if they don't produce desired results. There must be some way for the people to impose consequences. The elected SPI seems to be the logical person to run the education system, but, in order to do so, must be given more authority over the appointed State Board and the others. Of course, he/she can't do anything unless the Legislature and the Governor approve and provide the funding. (Back to Square 1!)

B. How can funding responsibilities be aligned with other governance responsibilities? The State should define the cost of educating each child and then provide that amount for every child in the state. Those making decisions should have the responsibility to provide full funding for every program mandated by the state. (Discussion of impact of collective bargaining. There should be efforts to make it less adversarial and more collaborative.)

C. Should governance be more centralized, or should there be an improved system of checks and balances among educational policy makers?

It should be more centralized, but there should be fewer regulations imposed on the districts. (The huge Education Code keeps growing, and nothing is ever removed.) Number of standards should be reduced. "Less is More."

D. Which functions of governance should be locally controlled and which ones are best reserved for the state?

State should control curriculum standards, accountability, equitable per pupil funding, length of school year, and minutes of instruction. Local boards should control discretionary funds, personnel matters, salary schedules, bell schedules, facilities, and property. Categorical funds should be provided in the form of a block grant in order to give local boards more discretion over their use.

E. At the state level, which of the following entities should bear the greatest responsibility/power/accountability for the governance of education, or should they be shared?

Superintendent of Public Instruction should bear the greatest responsibility, etc. (only if given more authority). He has been elected to govern the Department of Education. People think he is the one in charge of education, but in reality he does not have the authority to do so. Should be shared with the Governor and the Legislature.

4. ASSESSMENT

A. Is student assessment helping improve the quality of education and student learning?

Yes + Makes teachers and students focus on standards and makes them accountable. Parents want to know if their children are learning what they need to know, and at what level. Helps assess the quality of teachers' instruction. It is a tool used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the instructional program.

No + It affords a very narrow definition of the education being provided if the test is the sole assessment tool because students are tested in only basic skills. It takes too much time away from teaching the daily curriculum, thus causing increased stress for both teachers and students. Tests can be intimidating to many students.

B. By focusing attention on all students, has California's accountability system resulted in improved student achievement, particularly in low-performing schools?

Yes + When weaknesses are identified in low-performing schools, efforts are made to correct the deficiencies. Extra resources are provided, and teams of educators are assigned to work with the staff to improve the instructional program. It keeps districts from hiding low-performing schools and makes each school accountable. Many schools have dramatically improved initial results, but some have not been able to sustain.

C. What effect is the emphasis on testing for basic skills acquisition having on high-level learning/thinking and the development of non-cognitive skills (i.e. reliability, integrity, working well with others, etc.)?

No. Don't think it has any effect because some non-cognitive skills cannot be assessed in a written test. However, those are being continually evaluated by the teacher throughout the year through her interaction with her students and ongoing testing. Current tests, which include algebra and essays, do address high-level learning/thinking.

D. Are rewards and sanction currently tied to student test scores effectively motivating educators to improve academic outcomes? Explain:

No + Teachers don't go into education for the rewards. Good teachers are already motivated to help their students learn. Rewards and sanctions tied to student test scores have resulted in a negative effect on teacher morale. Just as test scores affect student behavior, they affect teacher behavior in differing ways, too. Monetary rewards for teachers who improve scores is a bad idea. There are a lot of variables and it isn't a fair measure of success.

E. Are schools that serve the urban and rural poor receiving sufficient additional resources and assistance needed to improve student outcomes?

No + No schools in the state are receiving sufficient resources to improve student outcomes.

F. Are lower-performing schools receiving sufficient additional resources, assistance, and time to work with low-achieving students as much as needed to improve student outcomes?

No + Same as above.

G. Is performance data presented to teachers, schools, and districts in a way that is understandable and usable? Explain.

Yes/Don't know + Probably okay for schools and district, but whether or not parents easily understand depends on how well the districts explain to parents how to interpret the data. Some districts might do a better job at that than others.

H. Are teachers, schools, districts, and parents able to use the performance data to effectively support student success?

Yes/Don't know - Same as above.

I. What roles and responsibilities should be designated to the local districts and sites to improve student achievement in their schools?

District + Staff development; Instructional calendar; Bell schedule; Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA); Data-driven programs; Teacher certification. School Site + Additional staff assignments, such as mentors for beginning teachers; Differentiated instruction (learning styles); Use of allotted funds to meet specific needs; Alternative staffing; Instructional goals and lesson plans.

J. Have policy-makers taken the necessary steps to ensure the successful implementation of the High School Exit Exam targeted for 2006.

Yes + Delayed implementation for two years to provide students more time to learn algebra; Students take test in sophomore year in order to determine areas of weakness and will be given help needed to subsequently pass; Efforts are underway to adapt test for non-English speaking and special education students.

Don't Know + Don't know if steps taken will ensure successful implementation in 2006. More time may be needed.

5. THE PUBLIC'S ROLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION How can all the institutions and non-governmental organizations that are concerned about public education in California work together more effectively to improve the quality of education offered to California's students? What role can the LWVC play? What role can the LWVC/LWVCEF play? Comments:

Build coalitions of educational groups that will use their clout to write legislation, lobby, and advocate for legislation that will improve the system of finance and accountability.

Most of the public and parents don't know how schools are financed. There should be more information, in simplified terms, given to the public/parents so they understand the problem and will support or oppose education ballot issues.

Study some successful models being used by other states rather than reinventing the wheel.

Get rid of cumbersome requirements in the Education Code. Simplify.

Encourage League members to run for school board seats.

Provide media with feature stories on education--good things that are going on in the classroom, facilities that need improvement, sample of tests that kids take, etc.

League should keep monitoring and having conferences on education. This study was very helpful and those who attended the sessions learned a lot. The expert presenters were also impressed by the written materials developed by the LWVC/LWVCEF for use in the study.

12/04

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: May 11, 2008 20:10 PDT.

© Copyright League of Women Voters of the Eden Area, California. All rights reserved.