California Advocates Have Facts for “Year
of Education”
Intent on influencing decisions on education in the
2008 legislature, Parents and Students for Great Schools,
a coalition of liberal advocacy groups, entered the
Sacramento spotlight in late September with their statewide
survey Now
That We Have the Facts. The survey results
reveal a mounting concern over the state’s soaring
high school dropout rate, and they mark the beginning
of a grass-roots movement to get more students graduating
from high school and attending college, among other
goals. Moreover, results suggest an up-and-coming active
approach by confirming that parents are willing to pay
more taxes to improve public education if certain conditions
are met, including an increase in accountability, transparency,
and local involvement.
Aligned with this impetus and in response to Getting
Down to Facts, a collection of 22 Stanford
University studies on school finance and governance
that give students and parents a voice in education
reform, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared
2008 the “Year of Education” in California.
In light of these studies and with hopes to influence
the upcoming agenda, coalitions of researchers, advocates,
teachers, parents, and politicians across the state
think about how to improve public schools. The coalition
may be gaining favorable press coverage and hopes to
build momentum. The Sacramento Bee recently reported
on the first of an expected series of proposals to the
state legislature in their article “Cut the Dropout
Rate, Aim for College.”
Student Input and Parental Involvement
Based on the survey results of 5,600 adults and teenagers
in low and middle-income areas around the state, the
Parents and Students coalition argues that “it
is important for policymakers to consider these opinions
in crafting an agenda for next year.” Across the
country, increased attention has focused on students
that voice their thoughts about school systems and reform.
As surveys and dialogue widen in scope, educators nationwide
hope that giving students a higher stake in their own
education will improve their learning experience.
Likewise, the coalition is focusing on parental involvement
in the classroom. As parents become more involved in
their children’s schooling, they also hope to
increase their input in education programs and strategies.
According to one school mother and ACORN (Association
of Community Organizations for Reform Now) member, “everyone
in Sacramento has a voice in education reform except
for those most directly affected – the parents
and children of California.”
Reform and Money
The new advocacy movement is connecting student performance
to family circumstances and school conditions, by aligning
student needs with parent expectations and school capacities.
One surveyed parent insists that “reform and more
money are both necessary to ensure that every child
has a high quality education.” Parents and Students
for Great Schools believes that education funding in
California should be used more efficiently, and they
lobby for parental involvement in this reform.
According to the coalition, surveyed parents are willing
to pay higher taxes for education, especially if “they
could have a say locally on how schools spend money.”
Elizabeth Alvarez, California mother of four and active
member of PACT (People Acting in Community Together)
says, “nothing is more important than my children’s
education. I would even be willing to pay more in taxes
to improve my children’s schools – but first
I’d want to know that the money was going to be
well spent.”
As 2008 approaches, the California coalition takes
an important stance to ensure the education system is
meeting the unique needs of each community by giving
parents and students an active role in shaping how dollars
are spent and how priorities are organized. Now
That We Have the Facts is the first of a series
of proposals to the state legislature and the beginning
of an advocacy movement for change.
Prepared by Marcela Briceno, October 19, 2007
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