Topic

Reforms

Current reforms to public education include the new Common Core State Standards for learning, the Local Control Funding Formula for school districts, the rise of charter schools and the growth of partnerships between schools, nonprofits, businesses and other government agencies. You will also find reporting about new initiatives and smaller reforms throughout the EdSource site.

November 8, 2019

Oakland school board closes meeting to public, citing protests

No protesters showed up, prompting some critics to allege the board violated open meeting laws in its attempt to prevent disruptions.

Theresa Harrington

November 6, 2019

State audit finds education money not serving high-needs students, calls for changes in funding law

After examining three districts' spending, State Auditor Elaine Howle calls for tighter controls over Local Control Funding Formula.

John Fensterwald

November 4, 2019

Oakland Unified moves forward with school closures despite protests

District officials offer to meet with protesters as Oakland and state teachers' unions echo demands for school closure moratorium until 2022.

Theresa Harrington

October 31, 2019

Shorter, clearer (but maybe not more transparent) school accountability plan coming

The state board will deliver an LCAP template that will be easier to read, but it probably still won't be easy to follow the money.

John Fensterwald

October 30, 2019

Mandating later school start times in California impinges on local control

Research shows later start times improve academic performance, but many in education community opposed being required to start later.

Louis Freedberg

October 16, 2019

Four lessons I learned from California’s Hollister prep on closing learning gaps

Improving student learning requires both academic rigor and flexibility in working with students based on their individual needs.

Lauren Schwartze

October 11, 2019

For better insights into California's new test results, look at achievement over time

Analytical tools that are available but not used can help schools better understand how to improve student performance.

David Wakelyn

October 10, 2019

How did students at your child’s school do on Smarter Balanced tests?

Readers can access results for California’s Smarter Balanced tests taken by students in the spring in nearly 10,000 school statewide.

Diana Lambert

October 9, 2019

Slow growth, big disparities after 5 years of Smarter Balanced tests

Average scores have been rising in English language arts, but dropping in math as students progress through middle and high school — a cause for worry.