Public Education

Register Now for EdSource Forum

Access to a quality education is an important right of all children. An informed, involved public is necessary to strengthen California’s schools for the benefit of the state’s children as well as the civic and economic quality of life in California.

Join us at the annual forum in Irvine, at the Hyatt Regency, on Friday, March 18, 8:30 AM – 3 PM. Early bird registration is only $70. Register now!

Community College System

Read about the League's work on the Community College System.

Education: Pre-Kindergarten through 12

What is the future of school reform in California? Interviews with California's leaders in education are helping create the ground work for a politically viable, educationally sound, comprehensive solution for our state. Read the School Finance Exploration Project report that not only analyzes these far-ranging interviews, but demonstrates the depth of the League's involvement in school reform.

Read a League Brief on "Understanding and Using Assessment Data to Drive School Reform". PDF File.  Click to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

For background on the most recent study, see "Education Study".

Offsite Resources

Once you click on one of the below links, you will leave the League of Women Voters of California Web site. Although we've found these resources helpful, we do not take responsiblity for the accurracy of the information or the opinions presented there except as indicated.

The Master Plan for Education is a long-term, strategic plan for a single, seamless system of education from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education that will produce better schools and higher levels of student achievement in every school, college, and university, and prepare students to enter the workforce. The main objectives of the plan are to focus the education system on student success and guide education policy and budget decisions over the next 20 years: The Education Master Plan.

The League is one of the founders of EdSource and recommends their materials, which are of primary use in our own work. League members receive a discount on their EdSource subscription (the form is on our members only site, under "forms"). EdSource is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to clarify complex education issues and to promote thoughtful policy decisions about public school improvement.

Government Resources:

California Legislative Analyst's Office
California Department of Education
US Department of Education
California Governor's Budget Proposal
California Department of Finance
California Ballot Initiatives
California State Senate
California State Assembly
California Legislative Information including Education Code

Other Resources:

Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center profiles for many CA locations; rankings, maps, or trend graphs by topic; and raw data. Includes over 100 measures of child well-being, including the community-level data formerly in CLIKS.
California Budget Project
California Federation of Teachers
California School Boards Association
California State PTA
California Teacher's Association
Children Now a national organization for people who care about children and want to ensure that they are the top public policy priority.
EdSource includes sections on School Finance, standards, charter schools, and more
Education Data Partnership provides a significant tool to access information and improve decision making in managing education's resources.
Getting Down to Facts (Stanford Research, 23 reports)
Public Policy Institute of California
Put Students First Office of the Education Master Plan for Education (site will be archived by the State Library in February 2008. A new direct URL will be posted at that time).
The RAND Corporation
School Services of California a private company which provides business, financial, management, and advocacy resources for educational agencies in California.
UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA)
West Ed this nonprofit agency (working at local, state, and federal levels) develops research-based programs, intervention strategies, and other resources, including publications and services.