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 The California Collaborative on District Reform joins researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders in ongoing, evidence-based dialogue and collaborative activity to improve instruction and student learning for all students in California's urban school systems.
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What’s New with the Collaborative
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As school districts across the country seek opportunities to work strategically with other districts to increase efficiencies and learn from each other’s experiences, the Fresno-Long Beach Learning Partnership serves as a useful example of such collaboration. This third in a series of briefs about the Partnership looks more deeply at two specific areas of focus for the Partnership—mathematics and English Learners—demonstrating that different kinds of cross-district learning can occur depending upon the degree to which work is shared across districts. These differences help demonstrate that there is not just one model for this sort of cross-district partnership; instead, different kinds of learning are part of the dynamic and organic nature of this work and help sustain the Partnership over time.
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California Collaborative Addresses School Turnaround
December 2011
Two December events, a presentation at the California Educational Research Association (CERA) conference and a webinar hosted by SchoolsMovingUp, highlighted the Collaborative’s work regarding school turnaround. Joel Knudson, Director of Communications for the Collaborative, drew on lessons and perspectives from our California district members outlined in the Collaborative’s recent turnaround brief to suggest a more systemic approach to dramatic school improvement. For the CERA presentation, he was joined by Becki Herman and Kerstin Carlson LeFloch of the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Dr. Herman shared the research base on school turnaround, and Dr. LeFloch presented baseline analysis of School Improvement Grants applications from the federal Study of School Turnaround. For the webinar, Mette Huberman of AIR presented recent findings from a California Comprehensive Center report that identifies schools that have successfully turned around. Robin Benton from Los Angeles Unified Local District 7 added reflections based on her experiences as a principal at a turnaround school and as a district administrator.
Link to archived SchoolsMovingUp webinar
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California Collaborative Convenes in Long Beach USD to Explore Linked Learning
November 2011
The California Collaborative on District Reform convened for the seventeenth time on November 7th and 8th in Long Beach. The group examined Linked Learning as an approach to developing college and career readiness so that all students can achieve postsecondary success. Members discussed school and district level actions important for carrying out a Linked Learning approach at scale, then expanded to address the external partnerships and policy supports that can best enable a systemic approach to Linked Learning. All meeting participants received a briefing book which included resources and literature on college and career readiness, the specific approach of Linked Learning, and considerations for school systems, external partnerships, and issues of equity in pursuing a Linked Learning approach; these resources are listed on the Meeting 17 page.
Link to California Collaborative Meeting 17 summary
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>> What’s New With the Collaborative Archive
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What's New with Collaborative Members
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Oakland Wins Federal i3 Grant to Improve College Readiness
November, 2011
Oakland Unified School District, a district represented in the California Collaborative on District Reform, has won nearly $3 million in the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grants competition. The grant will fund the district’s efforts to implement EXCELerator, a career readiness framework developed by the College Board that aims to improve the district college readiness infrastructure and capacity to provide rigorous education and supports, with a particular focus on historically underserved students.
Link to U.S. Department of Education’s i3 grant information
Link to EXCELerator program
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Kenji Hakuta to Lead Development of ELL Standards
August, 2011
California Collaborative member Kenji Hakuta will co-chair a two-year effort to develop a framework for the English-language demands of the Common Core State Standards. With $2 million in support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the group will build an open-source platform of resources for teachers of English Language Learners in an effort to link English language proficiency with content standards and assessments. California Collaborative member Aída Walqui will be a member of the project team.
Link to Stanford University press release
Link to Education Week article
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>> What’s New With Collaborative Members Archive
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| California Wins Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant
Friday, December 16, 2011
California, along with eight other states, was awarded $52.6 million from the $500 million federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant. With this money, California aims to increase the quality of and access to early learning programs through Quality Rating and Improvement Systems that will provide information about the quality of child care programs to parents and policymakers.
Link to U.S. Dept. of Education press release
Link to Superintendent Torlakson press release
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| State Cuts Education Funding Mid-Year
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Governor Jerry Brown announced a plan to eliminate $248 million in state funding for school buses as well as $79.6 million of general funding to K-12 education. The cuts, which will go into effect in January 2012, were triggered when state revenues fell short of projections, as stipulated by the state budget for the current fiscal year.
Link to Education Week article
Link to Los Angeles Times article
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| California-Based Organizations Selected as Federal i3 Grant Winners
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The U.S. Department of Education announced 23 winners of the $150 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grants competition. Four of the finalists are based in California, including Oakland Unified School District, which will use the funds to implement a district-wide college-readiness program, and Fresno County Office of Education, which will scale up a reading and writing course aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
Link to U.S. Dept. of Education press release
Link to list of highest-rated applications
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>> What’s New in California Archive |
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