California's education policy agenda, in particular the near-simultaneous implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), has created challenges and opportunities for the state. Coming on the heels of the Great Recession of 2008, these enormous shifts--the demands for substantially new teaching practices required by the CCSS and the fundamental shift from a state-controlled education finance system to locally determined priorities and resource allocation--require new infusions of support to help school districts realize these policies' ambitious goals. At the same time, shifting federal policies may have an unanticipated or unpredictable impact on state efforts and priorities. This brief summarizes three "Getting Down to Facts II" technical reports on governance issues facing California education: (1) "Federal Policy Meets 'the California Way'" (ED594696); (2) "State Structures for Instructional Support in California" (ED594746); and (3) Building a System of Support for School Improvement (ED594594). This brief also draws on another "Getting Down to Facts II" technical report: "Frontline Perspectives on Instructional Support in the Common Core Era" (ED594685). The major policy shifts embodied in the Common Core State Standards and the Local Control Funding Formula signal great ambition as well as the need for substantial support to implement these policies. Under the LCFF-generated System of Support, the state hopes that districts will have the capacity to identify local needs and strengths, develop strategies, seek the necessary assistance, and take actions to improve the performance of schools and students.