Grantee Resources

Topic: Systems Change

Story / Case Study / Commentary

Opinion: California Still Lacks School-Spending Transparency

Children Now

An op-ed highlighting the lack of transparency in California's education funding system, particularly concerning money intended to support vulnerable student groups. Calls for a clear and accessible system to track and report how funds are spent to ensure they benefit those who need it most.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

Disappointing But Not Surprising — California’s ESSA Plan Gets Some of The Harshest Feedback Yet From Washington

Children Now

An article describing the criticism from the federal Department of Education regarding California's plan to improve schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and highlighting the concerns of parents and advocates about the lack of details and accountability in the plan.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

Gov. Brown Proposes Ambitious Education Agenda In His Final State Budget

Children Now

A discussion of California Governor Jerry Brown's proposed education spending in his 2018-19 budget, which included funding to address shortages in special education teachers, connecting career pathways programs with community colleges, and allocating more resources to the state's school accountability system.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

When It Comes To Education Policy, It’s ‘The California Way’ vs. Betsy Devos

Children Now

An article highlighting California's revised plan to satisfy the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was met with criticism from the federal Department of Education, leading to a potential standoff between the state and federal government over education policies and accountability.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

24 Ideas For Improving The Local Control Funding Formula

Children Now

A collection of recommendations from 24 school leaders, student advocates, legislators, and others for the most important improvements needed to make California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) for effective, equitable, and truer to its promise.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

Jerry Brown’s Dilemma: Fix School Funding Formula Now Or Watch Others Do It Later

Children Now

An article exploring potential improvements to California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to address criticisms related to fiscal transparency, low funding for basic expenses, and the burden of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

California Revises How State’s ‘School Dashboard’ Is Calculated, Moves Several Districts Out Of Lowest-Performing Category

Children Now

An article about the changes made by the California Board of Education to the California School Dashboard's rating system's decision to move dozens of schools and districts out of the red category (lowest-performing) to the orange category due to concerns about the number of low-performing schools.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

Stagnant California Test Scores Pose Problem; State Board May Rejigger How To Rate Districts

Children Now

An article describing the challenge faced by the California State Board of Education as stagnant test results could require hundreds of school districts to seek county assistance due to their failure to raise English language arts and math scores, prompting consideration of changes to the criteria for rating schools and districts to reduce the number of poorly performing districts.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

What A ‘Technical’ Tweak To The California School Dashboard Means

Children Now

An article highlighting concerns raised by education advocates about the California School Dashboard's decision to "tweak" the numbers, moving dozens of schools and districts out of the red (lowest-performing) category to orange, which may give the impression of lower standards and make it harder for parents to understand the actual performance of schools.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

New Poll: Safe And Positive School Environment More Important Than Higher Test Scores

Children Now

An article discussing the findings of a poll which showed that California voters prioritize creating a safe and positive school environment over higher scores on standardized tests when evaluating school performance, and express concerns about bullying, violence, and harassment on school campuses.

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Policy Brief/Proposal

California’s Golden Opportunity: Taking Stock, Leadership from the Middle

Michael Fullan Enterprises Inc.

An information feedback report on the evolution of California's education reform enacted in 2013-2014, which radically redefined the policy direction in education based on the principle of decentralization of resources to local levels, expressed in the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

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Research/Report

Six Ways School Districts Can Leverage the Local Control Funding Formula for Equity in the Early Years

Education Trust, Inc.

Recommendations and examples of districts using Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funds to increase early learning options for families of color, families facing poverty, and families of dual language learners.

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Story / Case Study / Commentary

State Board Rethinking How To Measure Performance Of Alternative Schools

Children Now

An article discussing the challenge of developing a comprehensive accountability system for alternative schools in California and exploring potential metrics that could be used to assess their performance while integrating them into the larger system of accountability and school improvement.

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