{"id":4453,"date":"2018-09-28T11:15:16","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T18:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/education\/2018\/09\/28\/getting-down-to-facts-in-california-education\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T06:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T06:36:46","slug":"getting-down-to-facts-in-california-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/education\/2018\/09\/28\/getting-down-to-facts-in-california-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Down to Facts in California Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Michelle Hall, Attallah College of Educational Studies<\/a>\u2019 Director of Program Assessment and Improvement, was one of the contributors to a major update to a key research project, Getting Down to Facts II (GDTF II)<\/a>, that examines the many facets of California\u2019s public education system. The report provides a broad snapshot of the current state of California\u2019s education policy, with recommendations for paths forward.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Michelle Hall, Attallah College Director of Program Assessment and Improvement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Given that California has the nation’s largest K-12 public education system, with 6.2 million children served daily, what we do here has far-reaching effects on the health of our state and the nation as a whole.<\/p>\n

Getting Down to Facts II<\/strong><\/p>\n

An update to the first GDTF report published in 2007, GDTF II analyzes the effects of reforms adopted over the past decade in California’s K-12 education system. The goal was to identify what is working and where adjustments and investments are still necessary in four areas: student success, governance, personnel, and finance. The 2018 report consists of 36 studies and 19 research briefs compiled by more than 100 researchers from across the nation.<\/p>\n

Coordinated by Stanford University and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), the GDTF II research effort was funded by seven foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.<\/p>\n

In a national press release<\/a> about GDTF II, Dr.\u00a0Susanna Loeb, principal investigator of\u00a0GDTF\u00a0in 2007 and\u00a0GDTF II\u00a02018 summarized the report\u2019s key findings: “We found that over the last decade\u00a0California\u00a0made positive strides in public education by advancing K-12 academic standards and adopting a new funding model, but schools face a great need for policies that address system weaknesses and build capacity.”<\/p>\n

LCFF & Stakeholder Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coauthored with researchers from the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Michelle Hall\u2019s contribution to GDTF II is entitled \u201cTaking stock of stakeholder engagement in California\u2019s Local Control Funding Formula: What can we learn from the past four years to guide next steps?<\/a>\u201d It focuses on California\u2019s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a law enacted in 2013\u20132014 that fundamentally changed how local educational agencies (LEAs), such as school districts and charter schools, are funded. LCFF gives LEAs autonomy, but also requires engagement with key stakeholders, including parents, students, and educators.<\/p>\n

Most analyses of LCFF to date, however, have provided only one-year snapshots of stakeholder engagement. With this study, Dr. Hall and her colleagues sought to determine what local leaders have learned over the past four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cState leaders believed that LCFF would result in more effective policymaking, aligning resource decisions with community needs rather than needs defined in Sacramento,\u201d says the report. But it goes on to explain that \u201cstatewide survey and case study data indicate widespread struggles to attract participation, particularly among traditionally underserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GettingBased on their findings, the report recommends these next steps for state leaders and educators:<\/p>\n