California School Boards Association Responds to Governor’s Proposed Race to the Top Education Reform Efforts
West Sacramento, Calif. - Governor Schwarzenegger announced a special session today to address eligibility requirements for securing funds from the federal Race to the Top Fund. The fund provides competitive grants to states that are, according to the U.S. Department of Education, “creating the conditions for education innovation and reform.”
The California School Boards Association supports efforts to develop school reform and continues to urge the governor and Legislature to take necessary steps to guarantee high levels of student achievement and success – including adequate funding.
The following statement was released by CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin:
“There is great merit in many of the proposals announced at the governor’s press conference today, and it is vital for the education community to work together with the Legislature and Administration to develop effective reforms that address the key issues that impede student achievement.
For instance, using student performance data to help evaluate teachers and reward achievement in the classroom only makes sense if we go beyond just test scores to include the use of additional teacher performance measures. Test scores and data alone cannot determine the effectiveness of a teacher and should be used only as part of a broader, multiple measures approach.
Local school governance leaders are pleased that the Administration is joining us in support of a “growth model” that recognizes schools that are making progress from year to year. However, we are concerned that the Administration has not committed to using the growth model to identify the lowest 5 percent of schools in need of intervention. Also, effective interventions should be based on a careful analysis and diagnosis of the conditions in the school and deliberately matched to the identified problems.
We feel it is important to develop school reforms not only to meet the requirements for the Race to the Top funds, but more importantly to provide high-quality education to all students throughout California. With a thorough analysis of effective reform and the understanding that current and future standards cannot be successfully achieved without an adequate school funding system, California can lead the way in innovative education and student achievement.