All students confronted obstacles during the 2020 school year, but for students learning English, the year presented a distinct set of difficulties. Even as English Learner (EL) students shared in the common struggles around internet-based instruction, the tools to measure their progress in becoming proficient in English became largely unavailable…

Currently in the United States, 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia have established prekindergarten (pre-K) age 4 learning standards that are intended to outline skills and knowledge that set children on a path to success in kindergarten and upcoming grades. These standards are emphasized as a centralizing force in early…

In response to the need to develop leaders to guide the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Carnegie Corporation of New York provided funding to WestEd to develop a framework that defines the leadership knowledge and actions needed to effectively implement the NGSS. The development of the framework entailed…

On September 30, 2010, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) voted unanimously to approve a set of eight recommendations for authorization to teach English language learners. These recommendations approved by the CTC had been in development for almost two years and they focused on several issues, including: (1) a specific focus…

Accountability efforts at California's community colleges gained prominence in the 1990s under an agreement known as Partnership for Excellence (PFE) that involved the chancellor's office, the legislature, and the governor's office. This agreement was the first wide-ranging accountability effort undertaken by the state's community college system.…

The turn of the century brought a profound change in the accreditation of teacher preparation programs. This shift--from curriculum-based reviews to standards-based reviews--took place in the context of the accountability movement of the late 20th century. The 21st century ushered in what many refer to as "a culture of evidence." From…

The "Teaching and California's Future" initiative was created a decade ago to strengthen the teaching profession in California. This brief summary is based on the latest research for the initiative, covered in depth in the full report for 2007. The authors argue that California policymakers need to expand their focus from the quantity of…

This paper focuses on the formulation and adoption of content standards in California. The standards-setting process is examined through the theoretical lens of deliberative democracy in order to develop a better understanding of the process and to assess the extent to which the institutions charged with deciding what students should learn can act…

This article features the Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN), a groundbreaking program operated by the Riverside County Office of Education's Division of Children and Family Services. The FCCHEN is a network of family child care homes located throughout the Coachella Valley that receive funding for subsidized child care through an…

This article discusses how Roland G. Tharp and his colleagues from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence, a federal research center at the University of California, identify methods to help "nonmainstream" pupils make academic gains. Tharp has identified five standards that he says mark effective instruction…

Background/Context: The nationwide preoccupation with accountability continues to grow, with teacher credentialing programs facing growing scrutiny through state-mandated accountability systems. In response to Senate Bill 2042 passed by the California state legislature in 1998, the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) established…

The state with the largest public higher education system in the nation takes important steps toward establishing a statewide accountability model.

Explores and contrasts early efforts to set standards in mathematics and social studies, juxtaposing California's revisions of its history and social science curricula and the standard-setting approach of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Both programs achieved success in part because of their development strategies. (SLD)