Advancing Educational Equity & Excellence in California

This year, 2012, promises to be a pivotal one for California’s students. From Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to reform our education finance system, to competing ballot initiatives to raise more funds for schools, to efforts to change the school accountability system, our elected officials will grapple with a host of high-stakes decisions with long-term impact. At risk is our state’s economic future. To meet the demands of our economy, California will need one million more college graduates by 2025 than our education system is on track to produce. We cannot achieve this target without dramatically expanding college and career opportunities for the students of color and low-income students who are the overwhelming majority in California’s classrooms. As state leaders make critical choices about the future of our education system, they must correct the inequities that have led to unacceptable gaps in opportunity and achievement. Children facing poverty need additional resources to catch up to their more affluent peers. Yet, evidence shows that rather than providing high-need students with extra resources, California provides them with less of everything that matters. Low-income students and students of color are less likely to be taught by the best trained, most effective teachers than their more advantaged peers. High-poverty school districts receive fewer dollars than more affluent communities, even though it costs more to educate students who start off behind and have greater educational needs. Low-income, African-American, and Latino students are less likely to have access to rigorous, college-ready coursework while in high school, and therefore less likely to succeed in higher education. As the state legislative cycle proceeds, please take a moment to read our updated Policy Agenda, Advancing Educational Equity and Excellence in California. There you will find our most current recommendations for the fundamental changes necessary to close achievement gaps and ensure all of our students succeed in college, career and life. Read more >>