EdSource in the News
Listed below are selected news articles that mention or feature EdSource and its work.
Parcel taxes help local schools survive state cuts | Santa Cruz Sentinel ~ 8/29/2010
Interest in passing parcel taxes is growing in other local school districts as the state's financial crisis drags on without much hope that more flush years are around the corner, according to the education nonprofit EdSource. So far this year, 21 districts in California have placed parcel taxes on the ballot. In 2009, 31 districts did so, which is more than double the number in 2006, according to EdSource.
Can California keep achievement high as funding drops? | Santa Cruz Sentinel ~ 8/29/2010
Brian Edwards, a senior policy analyst at EdSource, a Mountain View-based nonpartisan think tank [said]:"What we do know is that expectations of academic achievement are higher than ever -- just look at the No Child Left Behind targets. Expectations are higher and schools are facing a revenue downturn. It's a question we all have to confront. How it turns out remains to be seen."
Parents fret about MPS middle-high school hybrids | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ~ 7/18/2010
The EdSource study Trish Williams led in California shows middle-school students were successful in all types of grade configurations, such as K-8 and 6-8. No one configuration alone correlated with higher achievement, she said.
Parcel tax raises issues of fairness | The San Diego Union-Tribune ~ 7/18/2010
School funding levy often rejected in poorer districts.
FUSD sets out to lure new students | Fresno Bee ~ 7/4/2010
It's no surprise to hear Fresno Unified has launched a campaign to boost enrollment, said Mary Perry, deputy director of EdSource, a Mountain View-based think tank that focuses on California schools."We will see continued pressure on school districts to maximize their revenue," Perry said."And because they have very little power to increase the money coming in, increasing enrollment is one of the best levers they have."
CA cities vote to pay more taxes to help schools | Associated Press ~ 6/26/2010
Between 2001 and June 2009, 83 of California's 980 school districts approved parcel taxes, but most of those districts have less than 10,000 students and serve fewer low-income children than the average district, according to Edsource, an education research group.
Cities Take Budget Mess to Voters | The Wall Street Journal ~ 6/3/2010
Voters in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties will decide on new taxes to help K-12 schools offset declining state funding.
Major Middle School Study | NBC Bay Area ~ 4/4/2010
EdSource Deputy Director, Mary Perry, will be appearing on the NBC Bay Area education show, Class Action.
The Role of Community Colleges | NBC Bay Area ~ 2/28/2010
EdSource Deputy Director, Mary Perry, will be appearing on the NBC Bay Area education show, Class Action.
FUSD gets tough on summer school | Fresno Bee ~ 4/3/2010
"I know that districts were given flexibility with some of their funding, so they are choosing where to focus. This is an interesting choice," said Mary Perry, deputy director of EdSource, a Mountain View-based think tank that focuses on California schools.
Class Action: Budget Crisis in San Francisco | NBC Bay Area ~ 3/25/2010
EdSource Deputy Director Mary Perry discusses school finance and budget cuts with San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia and San Francisco School Alliance Executive Director Terry Bergeson.
Too many students forced to retake algebra | The Educated Guess ~3/24/2010
EdSource, as a followup to its massive survey of middle schools, plans to look at much of the same data on algebra on larger scale.
Schools districts around the state are taking a stand on an initiative that would amend the state constitution to make it much easier to pass new taxes for education.
Historic vote for community colleges, too | The Educated Guess ~ 3/21/2010
At an EdSource conference in Santa Clara last Friday, Hal Plotkin, a former trustee of Foothill-DeAnza Community College District and now a senior policy adviser in the U.S. Department of Education, encouraged California schools to pursue the money.
The report, perhaps the most comprehensive ever conducted on these critical grades, tells us exactly what is working in California to improve student performance in the middle grades while also dispelling prevalent myths.
Fresno Unified to create four-grade middle schools | Fresno Bee ~ 3/9/2010
EdSource recently completed a study on middle schools and academic performance and didn't find a consistent relationship between grade configuration and student outcomes, Perry said.
Officials hope that by keeping the proposal off the bigger June ballot, their odds of winning the tax hike will be higher.
Proposal would ease school parcel tax votes | Ventura County Star ~ 3/7/2010
A Bay Area group called Californians for Improved School Funding wants to help school districts throughout the state raise money through local parcel taxes.
Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Lessons From California | Education Week ~ 3/4/10
(Commentary by Trish Williams and Michael Kirst) As expectations for a more highly educated American citizenry rise, what happens in the middle grades matters more now than ever. The middle grades are the last, best chance to identify students at risk of academic failure and get them back on track in time to succeed in high school. Moreover, success in key subjects in the middle grades is a prerequisite to being able to enter high school academically prepared for a college- and career-ready path.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement today regarding a new report by EdSource, Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better, which identifies practices and policies that differentiate higher-performing middle grades schools from lower-performing ones that serve similar student populations.
Report: middle school success tied to high expectations | Orange County Register ~ 2/25/10
Middle schools that embrace high expectations, impose a rigorous curriculum for all students, and tie student achievement to principal or superintendent evaluations have the best academic success, according to a new study.
Best Practices in the Middle Grades Identified | Education Week ~ 2/25/10
Using students’ test scores as one part of evaluations for teachers, principals, and superintendents is associated with better academic performance at schools serving the middle grades, a report released this week has found.
We often hear that school performance is linked primarily to parents' background. But the often ignored fact is that frequently the biggest performance gaps are between schools serving similar types of students. This begs the question: If student demographics aren't driving the differential in performance, or the performance gap, what is driving it?
Study: Gaining Ground in Middle School - Why Some Schools Do Better | 4LAKids Blog ~ 2/25/10
What district and school policies and practices are linked to higher student performance in the middle grades? To find out, a research team led by EdSource spent 18 months conducting the most extensive study ever of middle grades.
Why some middle schools do better | Joanne Jacobs ~ 2/25/10
An intense schoolwide focus on improving student academic outcomes characterizes higher-performing middle schools in California, concludes Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better, a Stanford and EdSource report.
Edsource in Mountain View Ca. released this report today. This report, Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better, is based on surveys from 303 principals, 3,752 English language arts (ELA) and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents in California. Educator responses were analyzed against spring 2009 scores on California’s standards-based tests in ELA and math in grades 6, 7, and 8, which were taken by close to 204,000 students.
What works in middle schools | The Educated Guess ~ 2/24/2010
Districts aiming to raise scores of middle school students shouldn’t count on hiring a messianic principal or jiggling the grade configuration of a school or making vague commitments to excellence – or any single tie-it-in-a-bow policy.
What Can Be Done For Middle Schools? | National Journal Online ~ 2/24/2010
What reforms are needed at the middle-school level to ensure the success of college- and career-ready standards? I wanted to direct your attention to a new study on Middle Schools by EdSource released today, Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better.
Strong educational practices, not demographics or organizational philosophies, most affect middle school test scores, a survey of more than 300 California schools found.
Middle school education: Muddle or model? | Get Schooled ~ 2/24/2010
Released today, the study by EdSource involved a survey of 303 principals, 3,752 English language arts and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents in California. The study compared policies and practices against the spring 2009 scores on California’s standards-based tests of 204,000 students in grades 6, 7, and 8.
Serious school money questions go unanswered | Santa Monica Daily Press ~ 1/25/2010
A number of districts have implemented"more progressive" variable parcel taxes that tax improvements and set different rates for commercial or residential and single-family and multifamily properties, according to EdSource Inc's."Local Revenues for the Schools."
Primary-grade classes of 20-to-1 on the chopping block | San Jose Mercury News ~ 1/27/10
When San Jose Unified took the unpopular step of increasing K-3 class sizes to 30 for this school year, it had little company in abandoning one of California's most cherished education reforms. Now, faced with cutting budgets yet again, districts throughout Santa Clara County are targeting once fiercely protected student-teacher ratios of 20:1 in kindergarten to third grade. The Oak Grove School District in San Jose plans to go to 23 students next year, Campbell has targeted 24, Alum Rock and Mountain View are considering 25.