RE: Public influence on the process

I think Maria makes an excellent point.  I and my colleagues that have been fortunate enough to participate in producing this first draft of the Master Plan also hope that the public will remain engaged in this process after the final plan is adopted.  No plan is self implementing.  The success of this effort will depend heavily on Californians monitoring efforts to implement the provisions of the final Master Plan.  Major change is difficult and we are attempting to facilitate major change, where educational policy is based on evidence of institutional performance and student achievement.  Concerned Californians at all levels -- parents educators, legislators, business leaders, students -- will need to keep asking how well we are progressing in achieving the goals contained in the Master Plan.  Responsibilities must be clearly defined and consequences (both positive and negative) must also be clear.  We are all collectively investing in public education and should be monitoring what kind of return we are receiving.