Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) are designed to assess, improve, and communicate the quality of early care and education programs. Using administrative data, we investigated whether providers that participated in a county-level QRIS saw increases to their global quality (tier) rating, domain-specific quality ratings, and scores on…

This report presents a summary of the vast array of activities that comprised the 2022-23 accreditation year for all Commission-approved educator preparation programs. Currently, there are 252 Commission approved program sponsors offering 878 different and active educator preparation programs and many of those are offered through various pathways.…

This is the technical document for the report, "Centering Quality, Centering Equity: Lessons Learned in Increasing Early Childhood Educator Credentials." The report explores Early Childhood Education (ECE) credential requirements in California (CA) and Washington, D.C. (D.C.) for two key reasons: 1) both recently raised these…

Thriving communities depend on a strong early childhood education (ECE) system--one where both young children and members of the workforce are served and supported. In recent years, state government leaders have increasingly focused on changing qualifications for specific ECE roles, as increasing credential requirements has sometimes been…

This is the executive summary for the full report, "Centering Quality, Centering Equity: Lessons Learned in Increasing Early Childhood Educator Credentials." Thriving communities depend on a strong early childhood education (ECE) system--one where both young children and members of the workforce are served and supported. In recent years,…

Special education administrators in the state of California are responsible to ensure that high-quality education is delivered to 17,000 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners each year. While all administrators must obtain specific types of credentials to prepare them for their role, it is unknown how much knowledge they have pertaining to DHH…

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing's current "Accreditation Framework" was adopted in 2006. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the Commission ensures quality in educator preparation in California. The system is designed as a 7 year cycle comprised of three major components or activities: (1) biennial reports; (2)…

To ensure a robust and comprehensive educational experience, every K-12 learner must have access to high quality Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) education. To make this happen, their teachers must be effectively prepared to provide excellent art education experiences. Although arts education is required in many states (including California) as…

This brief provides California policymakers with recommendations on how to improve access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE) for all children. It is based on a report that examines the ECE practices in 10 counties that vary by region, population density, and child care affordability. The report upon which this brief is based describes…

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing's current "Accreditation Framework" was adopted in 2006. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the Commission ensures quality in educator preparation in California. The system is designed as a 7 year cycle comprised of three major components or activities: (1) biennial reports; (2)…

The use of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to improve early childhood education program quality is based in part on assumptions that the quality of programs can be measured and that quality ratings are associated with meaningful differences in learning outcomes for children. This report reviews all of the state QRIS validation…

In fall of 2015, a Field Poll of California voters revealed that Californians are well aware of the emerging shortage of K-12 public school teachers and think the state should take decisive action to rectify the situation. Eighty-six percent of voters view the shortage as a serious problem, and nearly two-thirds see it as very serious. Ninety-one…

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing's current "Accreditation Framework" was adopted in 2006. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the Commission ensures quality in educator preparation in California. The system is designed as a 7-year cycle comprised of three major components or activities: (1) biennial reports; (2)…

There is overwhelming evidence that children's early years, from birth through preschool, are a crucial time for their development, and that high-quality early learning opportunities support children's school readiness, promote later life success, and yield a return of up to $7 for every $1 invested. Unfortunately, despite having the sixth-largest…

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing's current "Accreditation Framework" was adopted in 2006. The accreditation system is the primary means by which the Commission ensures quality in educator preparation in California. The system is designed as a 7-year cycle comprised of three major components or activities: (1) biennial reports; (2)…