ACSA, Association of California School Administrators. "The Impact of Leadership on Achievement."
Description: This brief recommends policy goals related to working conditions and capacity building for school administrators.

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Adams, Jacob, Jr. Founding principal investigator, School Finance Redesign Project. "A Policy Strategy for Funding Student Success."
Description: This brief sets out principals for redesigning education finance to better support student performance goals. It examines policies at the local, state, and federal levels related to aligning resources with instruction, adapting instruction and funding to student need, and meaningful accountability.

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Advancement Project. Munger, Molly, et al. "Facilities for Preschool and Early Education."
Description: This brief recommends policy goals for the financing and placement of preschool facilities on elementary school campuses.

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AIR, American Institutes for Research. District Practitioner Working Group; California Collaborative on District Reform. “Addressing California’s Data Needs: Implementing Comprehensive, Longitudinal Systems at the Local and State Levels”
Description: This brief recommends specific policy changes for funding and implementing a longitudinal state data system and for state support of local data systems.

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AIR, American Institutes for Research. District Practitioner Working Group; California Collaborative on District Reform. “Improving Teacher Quality: Redesigning Personnel Policies to Support Student Achievement.”
Description: This brief recommends specific policy changes related to teacher credentialing, placement incentives for hard-to-staff schools, and timing for teacher tenure. It also recommends increased state support related to teachers’ professional preparation and growth.

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AIR, American Institutes for Research. District Practitioner Working Group; California Collaborative on District Reform. "From Compliance to Getting the Job Done: Excessive Regulations vs. Accountability for Results."
Description: This brief sets out overarching principles for state policy related to the governance and finance of California schools.

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AIR, American Institutes for Research. District Practitioner Working Group; California Collaborative on District Reform. "The Importance of Systems Alignment: Developing a Coherent Approach to Educational Governance and Finance Reform in California."
Description: This brief sets out overarching principles for state policy related to the governance and finance of California schools.

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AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination. Ward, Granger and Laurie Wiebold. “Raising Student Achievement with AVID.”
Description: This brief recommends state support for AVID as a program proven to raise student achievement and increase college attendance rates among underrepresented students.

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Bersin, Alan, Michael Kirst, and Goodwin Liu. A project of the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity, UC Berkeley. “Getting Beyond The Facts: Reforming California School Finance.”
Description: This brief provides specific recommendations for reforming California’s school finance system. Presented as a preliminary draft, it details a simplified system of revenue allocations based on student needs and regional cost differences. It includes a financial simulation that demonstrates how it could be implemented with new monies going forward, thus not reducing districts’ current allocations.

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CBP, California Budget Project. “School Finance Facts.” TOPICS: Required resources, allocation methods, achievement gaps, data needs.
Description: This brief sets out general principles for state policy related to the amount of K-12 funding and resource disparities among districts. It also sets out principles related to an improved state data system and for state support of local data systems.

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California Foster Youth Education Task Force. “AB 490 Implementation: Ensuring Successful Education Outcomes for California’s Foster Youth.”
Description: This brief draws attention to the provisions of a 2003 law enacted to address barriers to educational opportunity facing foster youth and highlights shortfalls between legislative intent and current implementation.

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California State Legislature Rural Caucus. “School Finance Issues – School Transportation.”
Description: This brief recommends specific policy changes to equitably fund school transportation costs, resulting in an increase in transportation funding for rural school districts.

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CASBO, California Association of School Business Officials. TOPICS: Reform priorities related to data, efficiency, funding and governance.
Description: This brief suggests priorities for state policy reforms, including #1 a comprehensive data system; #2 reform of state practices that increase costs and decrease efficiency; #3 sufficient funding; and #4 a redefinition of the state’s governance role.

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CBEE, California Business for Education Excellence. “Closing Achievement Gaps at All Grade Levels: The Next Phase for Improving California’s Public Schools.”
Description: This brief suggests general principles related to the state’s accountability system, incentives for performance, and replication of best practices.

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CCSESA, California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. TOPICS: School finance (resource generation and allocation), governance, personnel and leadership, and state data systems.
Description: This brief suggests policy goals and makes specific recommendations for increased funding related to specific K-12 services; teacher staffing levels and professional development; administrator staffing levels and professional development; a comprehensive data system; and expanded preschool programs.

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CFT, California Federation of Teachers. TOPICS: Funding, leadership, and personnel.
Description: This brief sets out general principles for increasing funding to California schools and improving school principal leadership. It also suggests goals for policy and practice related to teacher induction, working conditions, and compensation.

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Children Now. “Children’s Education: The Clear Case For Data Systems Redesign.”
Description: This brief suggests general goals for a comprehensive, integrated, longitudinal state data system. It also recommends overarching themes and specific elements to be included in any effort to improve California’s educational information systems.

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College Board. TOPIC: Use of academic rigor to close the achievement gap with emphasis on equity and advocacy.
Description: This brief recommends state policymakers, districts, and schools use the College Readiness System developed by the College Board to ensure that more students are college ready.

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ConnectEd, The California Center For College and Career. “Multiple Pathways to Success: Preparing High School Students For College And Career.”
Description: This brief outlines a multiple-pathways approach to improving high schools and suggests policy changes related to teacher preparation and professional development, counseling; administrator professional development, finance, governance, and the state data system.

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CSBA, California School Boards Association. “Targeted Reform and Revenue to Improve Student Achievement.”
Description: This brief sets out general principles related to increased funding for public education; a more flexible and predictable system for allocating funds to districts; effective governance by local school boards; and implementation of a statewide data system.

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CSDC, Charter Schools Development Center. “Is California Ready for Real Reform? Lessons Learned from the Chartered Schools Sector.”
Description: This brief sets out general principles for “authorizing and supporting radical instructional improvement.” It presents ideas related to charter schools specifically and to the state’s overall system of standards, assessment, finance, and governance.

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CSEI, The California Science Education Initiative. “Improving student outcomes in science classrooms through definition of minimum required levels of instructional equipment and materials.”
Description: This brief recommends specific policies related to the materials and teacher professional development needed for science education.

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CTA, California Teachers Association. "School Finance Issues."
Description: This brief sets out general principles related to a minimum guarantee and increased funding. It suggests criteria for reforming the current finance system to provide flexibility but with some essential protections and to account for special needs and costs. It also specifically recommends more funding for a program that provides extra resources to the lowest performing schools.

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CTA, California Teachers Association. “Promoting Teacher Quality.”
Description: This brief recommends specific policy changes related to pre-service teacher preparation requirements and the improvement of teaching conditions. It also presents a framework for transforming “professional development” into a professional practice model.

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EdTrustWest, The Education Trust-West. TOPIC: State data systems.
Description: This brief suggests specific steps for building a comprehensive state data system. It addresses political will, the scope of a “smart” data system, access issues, obstacles to data accuracy, local capacity to use data, and the need for a state data commission. (This brief was corrected on October 31, 2007.)

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