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en through postsecondary. Moderators Helie and Ford introduced today's panelists and encouraged participants to explore the background to the Master Plan.
Panelist Alpert noted that the draft Plan represents the work of
research across the country, close to 300 people informed the Joint
Committee, and the current dialogue, town meetings and e-testimony are
being considered for inclusion in the final plan. Panelist Shafer invited participants to get involved. She noted that upcoming legislative hearings and regional town hall meetings scheduled for public are listed on the
Joint Committee website.
Participants represented a broad range of experience and interests: students and graduates of California's public education system, parents and grandparents, teachers and professors, and other education professionals. They cited a variety of reasons for participating such as the importance of life-long learning, recognizing students as unique individuals with specific needs and learning styles, and the importance of information competency. Some expressed concerns about deteriorating student outcome, reduced technical/vocational education, equitable funding of schools, use/misuse of standardized testing as a tool for accountability, and the low number of historically-excluded individuals who are eligible to apply to four year institutions.
Note: Postings that appeared on the Web site by 8:00 PM Pacific time are included in today's summary.
What do you hope a Master Plan will mean for California education (pre-kindergarten-postsecondary)?
It was noted that the draft Plan represents the work of research across the country, close to 300 people informed the Joint Committee, and the current dialogue, town meetings and e-testimony are being considered for inclusion in the final plan.
Participants shared a great many hopes for the Master Plan. They would like to see a Master Plan that:
- Stimulates a rebirth of education quality. Panelist Alpert indicated that the Master Plan will enable California to take gradual steps to improve education for all students. Another participant recommended a staged deployment of the plan focused on targeting existing resources to their highest and best use.
- Is not overly ambitious and does not require a vast increase in government expenditures.
- Assists future legislators by providing direction, continuity, research-based ideas for bills.
- Focuses on helping children become the authors of their own lives with the ability to read, write, and inquire about what interests them.
- Addresses developmentally appropriate practices at all grades.
- Safeguards the features of social mobility, second chances, and opportunity for changes in direction.
- Promotes quality education to all Californians so that the state produces its own leaders and technical workers, rather than importing them from overseas.
- Prepares secondary students for college work.
- Will be understood and used by all who need to use it. It should serve as the framework for a cohesive, comprehensive philosophy whose tactics are played out at the school, district, region and state level without confusion or, worse yet, competition.
- Prepares teachers to teach and guide students in a stimulating and relevant manner.
- Brings together the Governor's office, the CDE, the State Board of Education so they can all work toward a goal of excellence for California students
- Provides fresh, innovative ideas of education from different perspectives.
- Reduces the political maneuvers that have driven the educational reform movements in California
One participant asked what a system would look like if teachers' and students' needs weren't seen as mutually exclusive. Could we have a system wherein a teacher's needs for professional growth and financial reward were seen in concert with a child's needs for a safe, caring, and challenging learning environment?
How much influence can a state-level Master Plan have on education in classrooms across the state? There has been a postsecondary education plan since 1960. Has it made a real difference? In what ways? Can a Master Plan create a more "aligned" or "cohesive" education system, in which the parts work in a coordinated way?
- A Plan that has been "agreed to" by as many stakeholders as possible can have huge ramifications on the future of California's educational system, its students and teachers.
- A good plan can provide the outline for coordination of all units. The plan must not be too confining or restrict novel ideas and educational approaches.
- The Master Plan can have huge influence in the classrooms if a few conditions are met: (a) focus on the bottom line, not processes, (b) application of research-proven strategies, (c) equitable distribution of resources, and (d) true local control. One respondent raised concerns about allowing full local control.
- One participant indicated that a state-level Master Plan will have no effect on classrooms without some method of enforcement. Schools that list how many student pass a course is useless information if the class is below standard. Another participant objected to the word "enforcement", but agreed that coursework must meet state standards. Discussion ensued about using one different criteria to measure student achievement and teaching methods.
- Existing state standards are tools that would greatly improve alignment. If teachers made sure that their students mastered the standards for their grade, the next grade teachers would have a platform of student competencies from which to meet their corresponding obligations.
The draft Plan talks about accountability as an essential component to achieving the vision of a cohesive education system. What does accountability mean in such a complex system? Can a Master Plan create real accountability, so that someone is responsible when student achievement doesn't happen?
- Accountability should offer rewards for programs and systems that improve and be punitive only when the "life" of the system, entity or students is threatened.
- Without question, there can be accountability. Do we have the political and moral courage to go there? If school leaders were given complete latitude to create communities that were dedicated to learning and were held accountable, as public sector entrepreneurs are, incredible things would happen for the kids at their schools.
- One participant posited that accountability is a 4-way street: teachers must be accountable for classroom practices and education process, school districts for the learning environment and tools, kids for owning their own learning, and parents for kids' behavior and helping at home. Another participant added that the legislature must be accountable for the resources required to provide a quality education to every student.
- If the legislature is accountable to provide a quality education, then does not the legislature have the responsibility to mandate the resources required for a high quality accountability system? The Master Plan should include a commitment to fund new mandates.
- It is imperative that there be agreement on each entity's role and responsibility. Once we are clear on the "contribution" for each group then natural consequences will be apparent.
- Good metrics lead to a better process for accountability. Only measure the things you care about and can measure.
- Accountability must involve testing that is appropriate and reasonable. Interpretation of the results is vital. Different aspects of testing were presented such as student motivation and multiple tests with different purposes,
- Accountability needs to focus on individual students and their teachers. You need to test students before they go into a classroom and when they leave it to measure what they have learned.
- California needs to collect, analyze, and publish testing data on a more long-term basis, so that growth, or lack thereof, can be seen, recognized and understood. William Sanders' work with the Tennessee Value Added Assessment program would be an excellent model from which to learn
After the Master Plan is written, how much influence will the public have on the process of putting it into effect?
- Since the public is every parent, teacher, student, and adult in California, the "public" has a huge influence on the Plan's success.
- The Master Plan is only the beginning of a process that should continue to involve all who are affected by it. The Plan should be clear enough to serve as a guide, but flexible enough to evolve.
- If the plan is widely distributed and people understand their roles, the influence can be tremendous. However, there has to be "buy-in" from more than the Legislators. This Plan should appeal to parents, students and teachers and encourage their continued involvement.
- The Plan must be carefully crafted to allow for meaningful and fundamental public involvement without large-scale deviation from the plan. Public schools have a legacy of community involvement, which should be honored.
- One participant noted the importance of continued vigilance so the public has a lot of influence in the Plan after it is completed. Unless Legislators, the Governor and educational leaders make the effort to bring back the issues and commitments made in this Plan, the public might not remember them again
- In response to a question about cost estimates all the proposals in the draft, it was noted that a state Master Plan should be a policy document to guide the development of legislation over a period of years, rather than detailed map for implementation.
While this summary contains the highlights from participants' comments, far more comprehensive information may be found in the individual postings.
Background summaries, daily topics, questions and background information are available from the
Agenda
page.
Tuesday, June 4th will focus on Student Learning.
I welcome your comments on the summaries.
Sally Hedman
Reporter