September 7, 2019
Should schools be ranked with a single number or grade?
California, in adopting a new accountability system based on multiple measures, has firmly rejected the idea of a single ranking for schools. We interview Michael Kirst, the former president of the State Board of Education, who tells us why he is still against the idea of a single rating for schools.
For a transcript of Kirst’s comments, go here.
And we interview Jon Deane, the CEO of GreatSchools.org, an Oakland-based parent-oriented nonprofit that ranks schools on a 1-to-10 scale, which he says many parents find helpful.
We also discuss the $15 billion construction bond covering pre-K through higher education facilities on the March 2020 state ballot.
EdSource released a video that looks at the school construction and renovation needs of Fresno Unified. It indicates that low-income communities with lower than average property values, like Fresno, get a disproportionately small share of state bond funding.
For more, see the following articles:
- Push for single rating of LA schools challenges state’s multi-dimensional accountability system
- Contrary to critics, parents tell pollster they find California’s school dashboard useful
- Gov. Newsom, lawmakers still negotiating K-14 construction bond
- Achieving fair funding for school modernization in California: a case study [VIDEO]