Get Involved! California's Public Schools Are Your Schools

March 2003
Today's Students are California's Future
Our Changing World Places New Demands on Schools
California's Public Schools Need You
Need Help Getting Started?

Today's Students are California's Future
You probably recognize that the young people you know need a good education. You'd like to see them succeed in life, to "better themselves," and to find work in the career of their choice. But do you understand why it is important for you to care about California's entire public school system and its success in educating the students you don't know personally?

No matter who you are - business owner, senior citizen, employee, parent, educator, neighbor - the quality of California's public schools affects the quality of your life and the vitality of our state.

We All Benefit
Let's face it: today's public school students will be tomorrow's air traffic controllers, police officers, computer programmers, emergency room personnel, teachers, government officials, building contractors, lawyers, and auto mechanics. How well students are educated has an impact on the quality of services you receive and, therefore, on the safety and comfort of the world you live in.

California's economy is only as strong as the education and skill levels of those who are employed by our companies and businesses. Many California industries - medical, finance, telecommunications - desperately need well educated workers to keep California companies competitive and to keep our state economy strong.

The better job our public schools do in educating California's students, the stronger our businesses and communities will be. We all benefit.

So, California's Public Schools are Important to Everyone?
Yes, for economic reasons - and also for important social reasons. At least 90% of America's children have one experience in common: public school. Our public schools remain the single most powerful force for instilling the basic democratic principles that Americans hold dear and that contribute to the common good for us all.

One reason public schools were created was to unify a diverse population of immigrants - to transmit a common language and culture, a sense of what it means to be an American. That purpose is still important. The ethnically diverse America projected for the year 2050 can be experienced in California today. California's public schools can lead the way in fostering a strong American identity that includes respect and appreciation for the strengths of different cultures.

Another distinguishing ideal of our country is the belief that anyone who works hard can achieve happiness and prosperity. For most students, a good education is still the main avenue to that "American Dream." This is especially true for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Research even shows that better educated people vote more often, and certainly a good education helps a voter make well-reasoned decisions on candidates and issues.

The quality of education today's students receive now will shape the kind of world they help create - and that we will live in as adults and as senior citizens.

In 2001-02, California had:

• over 1,000 public school districts
• almost 9,000 public schools
• over 300,000 teachers
• over 6 million students

Our Changing World Places New Demands on Schools
Like it or not, our world has been changing rapidly, and the rate of change continues to accelerate. That reality has profound implications for California's public schools, where teachers are attempting to prepare young people for a world most of us can't even envision. Schools are serving a more diverse population of students growing up in a society quite different from the one their parents knew.

Expectations for Public Schools are More Ambitious and Complex
Changing workplace. Employers want high school (and college) graduates with more skills than ever before - not just the basics but the ability to work in teams and solve problems.

New technology. Students need to know how to use the computers, communication devices, and other productivity tools of a technology-driven world. Along with that, schools must take advantage of new technologies to change classroom practices in ways that improve learning.

Insights into learning. Exciting new research into how children learn - and what teaching methods work best - is making educators rethink their strategies for delivering instruction.

More diversity. More than 65% of students statewide identify themselves with an ethnic group other than white. One in every four California students comes to school speaking another language and needing to learn English. More than 10% of students have been identified as requiring special education services. Schools today are expected to provide all these students with a quality education. At times that expectation challenges time-honored practices and long-held assumptions.

Larger Social Forces Often Hamper Student Achievement
Increasing poverty. One in four California children lives in poverty. The pressures that often afflict low-income communities - isolation, struggling families, health problems, and hunger - affect students' ability to learn.

Cultural shifts. A decline in ethical standards ... negative media influence ... growing materialism. These are some of the labels used to describe the often troubling cultural shifts that spill over from the larger world into the schools. Teachers, parents, and students are increasingly concerned about the effect such trends have on student behavior and classroom order. Yet changing family structures and lifestyles that leave everyone "pressed for time" make it more difficult for schools and communities to work together on these issues.

Schools Today Operate in a Dramatically Different Environment
Less money. In the 1970's, California ranked 20th among states in the amount of money invested per student. That ranking dropped to 33rd in 2000-01.

Less local control, more regulations. Several important court decisions and citizen initiatives such as Proposition 13 have shifted funding control of public education to the state. Meanwhile, local schools are tangled up in a web of complex regulations, some of them a result of lawsuits over such issues as special education, desegregation, and equitable funding.

Schools and Communities Must Face These New Challenges
Changing conditions have created important gaps between what the public schools are doing and what Californians now expect of them. In particular, many point to a gap between how students are prepared to enter the workforce and what they will need to get good jobs in the next century. Another important gap also exists - between the job Californians now expect schools to do and the resources they have been willing to invest in them.

Today, more and more Californians - in classrooms and in corporations, in private foundations and in public agencies - are paying attention to these gaps. Community by community and school by school, dedicated educators, business leaders, parents, and other community members are joining forces to address some fundamental questions.

What should be the goals for California's public education system in the 21st century? Do our schools have the capacity to meet those goals? If not, what will it take to make them achievable?

Comparing California Rankings

• 11th per capita personal income (1999)
• 33rd per pupil expenditures (ADA) (2000-01)
• 51st in librarians and guidance counselors per student (1999-2000)

California's Public Schools Need You
Public schools in California were created to help parents and the whole community prepare young people to become productive, responsible adults. They cannot exist - much less function effectively - without the support of the community they are expected to serve.

Your participation can make a difference for California's public schools. Working with others you can help create a climate in California that fosters and supports significant school improvement. Whether you are a businessperson, a grandparent, a parent with school age children, or simply a concerned citizen, you have an important role to play.

Community

• Think about why public education might be important to YOU.
• Cast your ballot with improved schools in mind.
• Attend local school events to see what the students are accomplishing.
• Ask your company for time off to volunteer in schools.
• Make K-12 school improvement a priority for your charitable giving.

Parents

• Introduce yourself to your child's teachers.
• Seek their advice often.
• Supervise homework. Read to your child.
• Limit television viewing.
• Offer to help in the classroom, on field trips, or in the school office.
• Participate in your school's PTA or parent organization.
• Register to vote and go to the polls.

Voters

• Take an active interest in local school board, bond, and parcel tax elections.
• Get the facts and understand the implications of statewide school ballot measures.
• Communicate your hopes and concerns about education with elected officials in Sacramento. (How to reach the policy makers)
• Pay attention to local school board members and the decisions they make, and let them know what you think.
• Hold all elected officials accountable.
• Call your local principal and find out about serving on the school site council.
• Take a leadership role in your local PTA or parent organization.
• Call your superintendent and ask to serve on the district's budget advisory committee or improvement task force.
• Run for school board.
• Join your local education foundation or start one.

Need Help Getting Started?
You can find many ways to support public schools and many groups within the schools will welcome your interest. A phone call or an hour of your time can be the first step.

• Attend a meeting of a local organization committed to supporting public schools, such as the PTA or your local education foundation, and see if their interests match yours.
• Encourage your community, church, or service organization to make improving K-12 education a top priority.
• Call your school principal or school district superintendent and ask about other opportunities to get involved.

Get Involved! was developed through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation.