Using fiscal data provided by the finance office of the school district, and personnel data obtained from the California Basic Education Data System (maintained by the California Department of Education, or CDE), the authors present analyses to provide a foundation for local policymakers that may be used to assess whether there are inequities in…

This study explored beginning special education teacher quality and the role that knowledge and skill for teaching reading plays in defining quality. The authors examined the relationship between beginning teachers' knowledge for teaching reading and their classroom practices during reading instruction and, further, relationships between classroom…

For each of the past 10 years, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has issued a report on the status of California's teaching force based on research conducted by SRI International. The Center provides practical information to help policymakers and education leaders understand the challenges they face is provided. Context, clarity…

The report highlights the differences among California counties and regions in their use of under-prepared teachers and their needs for new teachers in the coming decade as driven by projected student enrollment changes and teacher retirements. The analyses, based on expected teacher retirements and student enrollment growth, suggest that…

Certain studies and the California legislature have recently concluded that seniority preference rules in teacher collective bargaining agreements facilitate a teacher "quality gap" by permitting senior teachers to transfer to schools with higher-performing and more affluent children. This study examines the effects of such transfer…

Extensive education research on the contribution of teachers to student achievement produces two generally accepted results. First, teacher quality varies substantially as measured by the value added to student achievement or future academic attainment or earnings. Second, variables often used to determine entry into the profession and…

In the state of California, potential administrators may gain certification by successfully passing the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA). This study attempts to determine if the SLLA route to administrative licensure is an effective way of placing quality candidates into entry level assistant principal positions by comparing and…

The authors of this paper document how federal policy on child care and early education led to a decline in wages and education among staff in early childhood programs. The paper analyzes labor trends for the early care and education workforce over the past 25 years--notably, an overall decrease in educational qualifications, and persistent wage…

The California class size reduction program provided schools with cash rewards for K-3 classes of 20 or fewer students. I show how program rules made it possible for schools to save money by using mixed-grade classes to meet class size reduction obligations while maintaining larger average class sizes. I also show that this smoothing of students…

This report, which is the second annual report on charter schools in California by the University of Southern California's (USC's) Center on Educational Governance, offers a unique view of charter school performance. Using both financial and academic data submitted by school districts to the state of California, this report looks well beyond test…

Findings of a study that examined the attitudes of middle level teachers and principals toward middle-school certification are presented in this paper. Questionnaires were sent to 82 teachers and principals of all 46 public schools serving sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in Kern County, California. Twenty-four principals and 48…

A study of the physical abilities required for juvenile counselors was conducted as part of the development of evaluation procedures for juvenile counselor candidates in the Standards and Training for Corrections Program in California. Data were gathered through questionnaires and telephone interviews with juvenile counselors and their supervisors…

This document consists of 12 short advisories that address commonly asked questions about minimum faculty qualifications in California community colleges. Advisory Number 1 addresses three issues: teaching in a minor, teaching counseling courses, and grandfathering of State Board of Education Credentials. Advisory 2 explains Assembly Bill (AB)…

Over the past several decades, the demand in California for college-educated workers has grown. But the supply of college graduates has not kept pace with demand, and it appears that this "workforce skills gap" will not only continue but widen. This study examines the causes, magnitude, and likely consequences of the potential mismatch…

For nearly twenty years the educational community has utilized portfolios as a method of monitoring the growth and development of candidates earning certification as educators and as school leaders. Professors in the field of education have encouraged their students to share these portfolios with public school hiring officials. There is a belief…