2007 California Education Policy Convening
Getting From Facts to Policy
On October 19th, 2007 EdSource hosted a gathering of business and civic
leaders, researchers, education professionals, community and reform
advocates, and state officials to collect, in one place on one day, a
number of research-based policy recommendations.
About the Convening
Policy Briefs (in Reform Proposals section)>
As an independent and impartial host, EdSource
organized a California Education Policy Convening on October 19, 2007,
in Sacramento to facilitate the presentation and sharing of education
policy options based upon nonpartisan analysis, study, and research.
These policy alternatives were offered by a broad and diverse range of
top-level K–12 opinion leaders in California.
More than 300 people attended the
day-long event, including business and civic leaders, researchers,
education professionals, community and reform advocates, and state
officials. Leading up to the Convening, EdSource received 47 six-page
policy briefs—based on research and evidence—from
about 50 education stakeholders and experts. These briefs raised issues
that the individuals and organizations submitting them think are most
important for improving student academic outcomes in California, and
were presented in breakout sessions during the Convening. Each of the
47 policy briefs can be viewed and downloaded online from our Reform Proposals Section.
Background
In the mid-1990s, California began the hard work of setting rigorous K–12 academic content and student performance standards, then aligning the curriculum, the student assessments, and the school accountability system to the goal of meeting those standards. K–12 district and site leaders and educators have been working hard ever since to implement these standards-based reforms and there has been considerable progress. However, there have been no comparable state policy reforms to better align the school funding, governance, personnel and leadership, or data systems to the goal of improved student performance.But a growing and comprehensive body of research, including the Getting Down to Facts portfolio of studies, has spurred much good thinking and discussion. The governor has declared 2008 the “Year of Education Reform” and many policymakers are motivated to develop comprehensive, meaningful, research-based education policy agendas that could take the state’s education system to another level in its ability to make significant gains in student achievement. Between the availability of good research—and a motivated, interested policymaking body in Sacramento— California has a window of opportunity this fall and spring for making bold headway on education reform.
EdSource was assisted in this event by Cross & Joftus, LLC. The event is a project of CIF of the San Francisco Foundation with funding from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, and The Stuart Foundation.
For more information, please see our Reform Proposals section, which includes all the policy briefs submitted to this event.