April
10, 2006
Stanford University
professor leading major research initiative to reform CA education
By Lisa Trei
|
Getting
Down to Facts
According to Loeb, who designed the study, the project asks three
broad questions:
- What
do California school finance and governance systems look like
today?
- How
can we use the resources we have more effectively to improve
student outcomes?
- To
what extent are additional resources needed so that California
students can meet the goals we have for them?
For the first question, Loeb said, researchers will investigate
the following:
* What is the structure of the California's school finance system?
* How are the revenues distributed across districts and how do
districts spend these dollars?
* How do schools receive funds from districts and how much control
do school administrators have over resource allocation?
* What services do students in California receive and how do they
compare to services in other states?
For the second question, Loeb said, researchers will look at
possible inefficiencies within the system by asking the following
questions:
* In what ways do the structures of school finance and governance
create barriers to the effective use of resources?
* How do school and district personnel policies help or hinder
effective resource use?
* In what way does lack of information hinder policy-makers and
practitioners from making the most effective decisions and what
additional information would be most helpful?
The third question aims to pinpoint the resource needs for
different academic goals by asking the following questions:
* What do Californians believe schools should be held responsible
for and students should be expected to achieve?
* What resources appear to be important for allowing students
to reach these goals?
*
How do needs for resources differ across students, particularly
as a function of geographic location, increasing or decreasing
enrollment, special education, poverty and English-language learner
status?
Finally, Loeb said, three additional studies will help frame
the research by asking the following questions:
* What theoretical perspectives, including issues of equity, efficiency
and adequacy, can help guide school finance and governance policy?
* What can be learned about effective implementation of school
finance reforms from experiences in other states?
* What are the major lessons from the research studies in this
project?
|
STANFORD, Calif., March
30, 2006 — To help lay the groundwork for reforming California's
faltering school system, more than 30 researchers nationwide have launched
the largest independent investigation ever of how the state governs and
finances education.
Stanford Associate
Professor of Education Susanna Loeb, an economist, is leading the $2.6
million effort, titled, "Getting Down to Facts: A Research Project to
Inform Solutions to California's Education Problems."
"Much of the research
on school finance is driven by litigation," Loeb said. "This effort
stands out in its depth and breadth, but also because it is independent
and nonpartisan. The consensus is that there has to be some sort of
change. We hope that the results of these studies can help to carve
out common ground for discussions that can lead to effective change
in school finance and governance in California."
The studies aim
to identify what reforms are needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the school system and to assess how much it should cost to provide
every child in California with a good education. Statewide, enormous
disparities exist in educational quality. And compared with the past,
California has fallen far behind. From its position as a national leader
in education three decades ago, the state now ranks 48th in student
basic reading and math skills, Loeb said.
The project, which
was requested by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Committee on Education
Excellence, Democratic leaders in the state Senate and state Superintendent
of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, aims to provide policy-makers
with clear information that is needed to assess proposed reforms. The
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
the James Irvine Foundation and the Stuart Foundation are funding the
nine-month effort, which includes more than 20 studies.
"This is the most
comprehensive study of school finance for K-12 in the history of California,"
said Stanford education Professor Michael Kirst, who has worked in state
education since 1969 and is participating in the project. "It has more
components and dimensions to the study than any other, and it is the
most impressive array of researchers from around the nation that has
ever been assembled to study school finance in California."
Although Kirst,
who was president of the state board of education in 1970s, praised
the quality of the project, he was less sanguine about whether it would
lead to real change.
"It depends on
when these studies come out," he said. "Is the policy window open? Are
the stars aligned in that the governor and the legislative leaders are
ready to move forward on this? Nobody can predict that. I don't even
know who the governor is going to be. So we're just hoping."
In addition to
Loeb and Kirst, Stanford participants include Anthony Bryk, the Spencer
Foundation Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business;
Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor; William Koski,
the Eric and Nancy Wright Professor of Clinical Education at the Law
School; and Eric Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at
the Hoover Institution.
In addition to
Stanford, researchers conducting the study come from other universities
including California State University-San Diego, Syracuse University,
Tufts University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Pennsylvania,
the University of Southern California, Quinnipiac University, the University
of California-Davis, UC-Berkeley and UC-Santa Barbara. Others experts
come from the American Institutes for Research, the Public Policy Institute
of California, School Services of California, the RAND Corporation,
EdSource, a clearinghouse for independent information on state public
education policy issues, and Springboard Schools, a nonprofit network
of educators committed to raising student achievement.
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Google wins
suit filed by writer
CNET
News.com reported that search engine Google won a lawsuit brought by
writer Gordon Roy Parker alleging that the company violated copyright
law by automatically archiving a copy of his posting on Usenet and by
providing excerpts from his Web site in search results. Read the entire
article here.
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Harris copyright
suit goes to jury trial in June
Christopher Harris's
copyright infringement suit against the San Jose "Mercury News" will
go to trial on June 12, 2006 in San Jose, California. For more on the
lawsuit, click here.
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of page for all news
Wakefield to
present at Chilean textbook seminar
TAA President John
Wakefield will serve on two panels and present two papers at the First
International Seminar on Textbooks in Santiago, Chile, April 19-21.
One paper will be on textbook pedagogy ("Textbooks That Teach: Structure
and Design of Textbooks for Educational Purposes"), and the other on
textbook usage ("Textbook Usage in the United States: The Case of U.S.
History").
The seminar, which
is sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education, will feature plenary
and panel sessions. Plenary speakers are scheduled to be Mr. Thomas
Duffy (Indiana University, USA), speaking on "The Textbook of the Future:
a Construction of the Teacher and the Learner;" Mrs. Bente Aamotsbakken
(Norway) and Mrs. Susan Knudsen (Denmark) speaking on "Web Designed
Learning Resources in Cooperation with Textbooks;" Mr. Mike Horsley
(Australia) speaking on "Textbook Pedagogy: A Sociocultural Analysis;"
Mr. Jaime Martinez (Spain) speaking on a yet to be determined topic;
and Mr. Stephen Heyneman (Vanderbilt University, USA) speaking on "The
Place of Textbooks and Textbook Policy in a Modern Education System."
The internet link to seminar information listing all the speakers and
their topics is: http://www.textosescolares.cl/seminario/
His trip is being
paid for by a grant from the U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program, Bureau
of International Information Programs, United States Department of State,
arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Chile. During his week-long stay in
Chile, Wakefield will also be speaking at Universidad de Concepcion,
Universidad del Desarrollo, and Universidad San Sebastian on "Teaching
Thinking."
Click
to download Wakefield's program agenda at the seminar in Santiago
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TAA blog posting:
Should authors incorporate?
TAA member Kevin
Patton has received several responses to his blog post asking whether
authors should incorporate. Check them out at the TAA online
blog. Respond to Kevin's question by posting your answer in the
Text and Academic Authoring blog or by e-mailing your answer to Kim
Pawlak, TAA Publications Editor at kmpawlak@centurytel.net.
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Welcome new TAA
members!
TAA welcomes the
following new members:
Mike Adams
James R. Allison
Karl C. Alorbi
Richard Anderson
Anthony Avallone
Sherry Baker
Nicholas Ball
Michael Barnes
Jeff Barrow
David Belnap
Joanne P.H. Bentley
Jane Birch
Jim Birrell
Fred Bonato
Andrea Bubka
Sandra Burnett
Paul Caldarella
Maria Calisi
David Cardon
Lynette Christensen
Glenda Christiaens
James J. Clayton, Sr.
Barbara Culatta
Laura Cummings
Alky A. Danikas
Douglas Dean
Kirk Dearden
Tina T. Dyches
|
Joseph J. Ekstrom
Paul J. Fields
Joshua Feinberg
Ricardo Fierro
Adam Fisher
Donna Freeborn
Matthew Fung
Todd L. Goodsell
Mark Graham
Sharon R. Gray
Karen Griggs
Denise Halverson
Maryellen Hamilton
John E. Hammet III
Carl Hanson
Sondra Heaston
Deborah Himes
John Holcomb
Rollin Hotchkiss
Luke Howard
Mark W. Jackson
James E. Kohl
Nate Kramer
Jane Lassetter
Stuart Leigh
Chin-Yo Lin
Donal MacVeigh
Donal Malone
Barbara Mandleco |
Kelly McCoy
Irene McEachen
John Murphy
David Neilsen
Dianne Nielsen
Len B. Novilla
Susanne Roper Olsen
Christopher Oscarson
Samuel Otterstrom
Caleb Parsons
Ana Maria Preto-Bay
Patricia Ravert
Shelly Reed
Steve Riep
Eric Ringger
Megan Jones Sanborn
Anca M. Sprenger
Kevin Stoker
Jack Stoneman
David Surrey
Susan Tegtmeier
Richard Vanfleet
Mari Vawn Tinney
Michael Whitchurch
Eric Wilson
Sue Womack
John F. Wrynn
Ben Young |
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TAA member gives
gift membership
TAA member Thomas
Hungerford gave a gift membership to John Holcomb. Thanks Thomas; and
welcome John.
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Harris copyright
suit goes to jury trial in June
Christopher Harris's
copyright infringement suit against the San Jose "Mercury News" will
go to trial on June 12, 2006 in San Jose, California. For more on the
lawsuit, click here.
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of page for all news
TAA blog posting:
Working with your publisher
TAA member Bem Allen
recently posted a message to the TAA Blog about some problems he has
had working with his publisher. Several fellow TAA members replied to
his message. Check it out at the TAA online
blog.
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Busy TAA people:
Click
here for news from TAA members Stan Gibilisco, Jean A. Lukesh, and
Marilyn "Winkie" Fordney.
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How to structure
an educational publishing deal?
TAA Member Stuart
Leigh, executive director of Real World Productions, needs some help
in understanding the critical aspects of structuring an educational
publishing deal in the Philippines: "I need immediate help in understanding
pricing models for US publishers selling to governmental education departments
(in this case Southeast Asian governments, but any overseas or even
US models would help). I am the copyright holder and now the publisher
too. I do not have a great deal of experience in standard deal models
for textbook sales." If you can help him, send him a message directly
(Sleigh64@aol.com) and cc the
TAA Listserv. Or, you can post your response to the TAA online
blog.
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TAA Member Testimonials
TAA would love to
hear from members about what they find most advantageous about their
membership. What first caused you to consider joining TAA? What benefit
or service does TAA offer that you find most helpful? How has your membership
in TAA helped your authoring career? Why do you continue to be a member
of TAA? Please send your signed testimonials (include your name, title,
field, college/university, etc.) to Kim Pawlak, Publications Editor,
kmpawlak@centurytel.net.
Your testimonials may be used in TAA News Alerts, on the TAA website,
in a future TAA brochure, in a future issue of The Academic Author,
etc.
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Renew Your Membership
Online!
TAA has just launched
a new online member form that will allow members to renew online using
a secure server. The form can also be used by new members. Check it
out in the TAA Member Center here.
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