Black teachers: How to recruit them and make them stay
Lessons in higher education: What California can learn
Keeping California public university options open
Superintendents: Well-paid and walking away
The debt to degree connection
College in prison: How earning a degree can lead to a new life
California’s next governor will have a historic opportunity to address the massive educational equity gap threatening the state’s future prosperity. What’s needed to unlock the full potential of all our children is a new, broadly supported “Master Plan” for investing the riches of the world’s fifth largest economy at every level of public education.
The Getting Down to Facts II studies and other recent reports highlight the powerful headwinds facing the Latino and African-American majority in our schools:
If we hope to build a prosperous California that will not continue to depend on imported high-skilled labor, the question is not if, but how, the state raise will new revenues to invest across its education system.
Here are a few examples of ideas that are circulating, along with rough estimates of the revenues they would generate for the state’s General Fund (which support the University of California and the California State University systems) and Prop. 98 (the General Fund portion reserved for K-12 and community colleges):
While raising revenues, the next governor should also commit to a high quality 21st-century data system that integrates PreK-12, higher ed and workforce data. If California does not modernize its ability to track the return on its investment in education, any push for significant new spending will carry with it a major vulnerability. Currently, we are one of only seven states that does not integrate K-12 and higher education data. Connecting and expanding the state’s data systems would better equip California to detect and respond to systemic inequities, performance gaps and shortfalls.
There is no one answer as to how to arrive at an adequately funded public education system. Any comprehensive solution will need to use a mix of measures, some from this list and likely others not yet conceived. Little chance of a systemic attack on California’s educational equity gap exists though without a strong champion in the governor’s seat, one who carries a bold vision and a public will-building agenda to provide the state’s black and brown student majority the best opportunities California can offer.
•••
John Affeldt is a managing attorney at Public Advocates in San Francisco, where he focuses on educational equity issues through litigation, policy advocacy and partnerships with grassroots organizations.
The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.
Panelists discussed dual admission as a solution for easing the longstanding challenges in California’s transfer system.
A grassroots campaign recalled two members of the Orange Unified School District in an election that cost more than half a million dollars.
Legislation that would remove one of the last tests teachers are required to take to earn a credential in California passed the Senate Education Committee.
Part-time instructors, many who work for decades off the tenure track and at a lower pay rate, have been called “apprentices to nowhere.”
Comments (6)
Comments Policy
We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.
sonia oconnor 5 years ago5 years ago
I can’t see any push for personal taxes being pushed here, perhaps more state, toll, gas, registration taxes, and a service tax.
Steve Ayon 5 years ago5 years ago
Here is a visualization I developed that displays CAASPP achievement gaps and trends over the last for years for the entire state of California. Use the tabs on top of the visualizations to select the different reports.
https://public.tableau.com/profile/rcoe#!/vizhome/2015-2018RiversideCountyCAASPPSBACResults/About
Shovland 5 years ago5 years ago
The first thing to do is eliminate a single revenue source to supply 2 unequal systems. One required to follow all sorts of rules, educate everyone at any time and assesss students preferably with the understanding that Income inequality is the primary culprit in the education gap. While the other system of schools is predatory, and with very poor results to justify its’ existence, and no accountability expressly written in the law. Second eliminate the … Read More
The first thing to do is eliminate a single revenue source to supply 2 unequal systems. One required to follow all sorts of rules, educate everyone at any time and assesss students preferably with the understanding that Income inequality is the primary culprit in the education gap. While the other system of schools is predatory, and with very poor results to justify its’ existence, and no accountability expressly written in the law.
Second eliminate the loophole that allows the state government to fill the coffers of the general fund during economic downturns to borrow money against the education fund – while violating the state constitution to “first fund education before anything else”(parapfrase) – and not repaying it on time or only when it can, without interest. Our children’s’ futures are not a lending institutions. Ever!
Hannah MacLaren 5 years ago5 years ago
Part of the dilemma of closing the gap is that the focus is on having schools be the primary means. Unless the school(s) can become fuller service commenty schools providing the society's supports, critical elements will continue to be missed: adequate housing, safe parks and recreational opportunities, libraries, food deserts, family disruptions, incarceration reform, adequate employment opportunities with sufficient compensation...and such. In the absence of these kinds of conditions, at the very least, proper funding … Read More
Part of the dilemma of closing the gap is that the focus is on having schools be the primary means. Unless the school(s) can become fuller service commenty schools providing the society’s supports, critical elements will continue to be missed: adequate housing, safe parks and recreational opportunities, libraries, food deserts, family disruptions, incarceration reform, adequate employment opportunities with sufficient compensation…and such.
In the absence of these kinds of conditions, at the very least, proper funding of schools must address the conditions of the schools as they exist currently. The teachers do need to have smaller classes: 40-50 students in a class does not enable vibrant educational experiences, no matter how brilliant the teacher may be….and for the most part they are brilliant. Students need to have access to caring counselors and support personnel (librarians, social workers, nurses).
Trish Williams, Member, CA State Board of Education 5 years ago5 years ago
Informative, enlightening, motivating. John, this list of options for raising the kind of funding that CA’s public education systems need in order to dramatically improve is a real public service. Hope it gets widely read.
Bill Conrad 5 years ago5 years ago
A Master Plan for California should include a Big Picture that begins with the identification of quality curricula for all subject matter. It is now time to jettison the Balanced Reading Boondoggle for a reading curriculum that emphasizes the science of learning reading that includes explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. There should be an assessment monitoring system for each of these 5 key elements to ensure that all … Read More
A Master Plan for California should include a Big Picture that begins with the identification of quality curricula for all subject matter. It is now time to jettison the Balanced Reading Boondoggle for a reading curriculum that emphasizes the science of learning reading that includes explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. There should be an assessment monitoring system for each of these 5 key elements to ensure that all students are on track for reading by 3rd grade. The fundamental job of the K-12 education system is to ensure that all students can read by the end of third grade.
The Big Picture should also include the indentification of aligned professional practices that school districts should be using every day that involve teachers, princiapls, and district administrators. John Hattine in his book Visible Learning has identified a plethora of high quality teaching professional practices that is a great resources.
The plan should include both formative and summative assessments that teachers can access and use to gauge the quality of student demonstration of key learning standards algined to the Common Core Standards. These assessments should also be able to elicit student misconceptions and errors in thinking that teachers can diagnose and then intervene to address.
Finally, the plan should include robust and easy to interpret data visualizations of both professional practices as well as student outcomes.
Of course, the Master Plan shoud emphasize the reconstruction of the Schools of Education in California to adequately prepare all teachers to be effective in the use of high quality curricula, professional practices and assessments.
This is not magic nor is it sexy. It will go a long way to dispel the current massive fog of education!