Ķvlog

Education News in Brief

Calif. School Reform Plan Released

By Linda Jacobson — March 25, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Stronger teaching and leadership, a useful and reliable data system, expanded high-quality early-childhood-education programs, and more flexibility for Ķvlog to improve student achievement are among the recommendations a California committee is making for repairing what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called a “broken” public education system.

But in accepting the recommendations March 14, the governor said it was unfortunate that the 18-member group’s plan was being released in the midst of a “financial disaster” when midyear budget cuts have already occurred, and the state faces a $16 billion deficit in fiscal 2009.

Ted Mitchell, the chairman of the committee, however, said some changes can be made right away, while other recommendations are meant to point the state in a direction of improvement for the next decade.

“We mustn’t postpone education reform until the situation improves,” said Mr. Mitchell, who also serves on the state’s appointed board of education. And when California’s fiscal picture does brighten, resources shouldn’t be channeled “into the same old system,” he said.

Gov. Schwarzenegger used the formal announcement of the report, which has already been a topic of conversation and hearings around the state for a few months, to push once again for his plan to establish a rainy-day fund that would help the state withstand downturns in the economy.

“For healthy schools, you need a healthy budget,” he said.

The Republican governor’s Committee on Education Excellence, financed by several foundations, was created three years ago to address such areas as finance, school governance, and teaching. Along with several other groups, it requested a major series of research reports, called “Getting Down to Facts,” released a year ago. (“California’s Schooling Is ‘Broken,’” March 21, 2007.)

Not surprisingly, the committee’s report echoes many of the issues already highlighted in that document. Among them are that the state’s education system, with its piles of categorical funding programs, is confusing, and that it is “compliance-driven,” Mr. Mitchell said, instead of focused on results.

The committee report also agrees that while massive amounts of data are collected, they are not organized well enough to be used for making improvements.

“Our system actually impedes Ķvlog’ best work,” he said.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in California. See data on California’s public school system.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 26, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by 
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz New Data on School Cellphone Bans: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read