Two California districts that have successfully recruited good teachers are Elk Grove Unified School District, near Sacramento, and Hesperia Unified School District, northeast of Los Angeles. Elk Grove grows their own teacher candidates, in partnership with San Francisco State University. Hesperia conducts nationwide searches, targeting states…

California's newly legislated Peer Assistance and Review Program will hopefully transform the state's teaching profession. PAR will serve as a catalyst for positive change in several areas: recognition of teaching as a lifelong developmental process; alignment of teacher development with standards; and creation of labor/management partnerships.…

Soon after the California Peer Assistance and Review program was signed into law, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District and the local teacher union came to an agreement about implementing the program. Key factors were mutual respect and need for mentoring programs for beginning teachers and for experienced teachers needing assistance. (MLH)

The California Legislature has funded three programs to help beginning teachers enter credentialed programs or complete internship and induction programs. The Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program has three models: classroom teachers as support providers, full-time teacher release, and part-time teacher release. Benefits and drawbacks…

The Triple "L" Collaborative is a partnership of Campbell Union and Oak Grove school districts with San Jose State University. Goals include developing a seamless continuum of teacher development activities for preservice through leadership- development stages, implementing a revamped teacher education program, and developing a culture of inquiry…

In a recent report, EdSource examines how Californians' concern for teacher quality has created new tensions. The desire for stronger accountability and better teacher evaluation standards can compete (when allocating time, attention, and money) with the need for higher quality professional development. Accountability and teacher skills are…

At Pajaro (California) Unified School District, it is no longer acceptable merely to demonstrate skill. Teachers must also identify the effects they have on students. Pajaro's assessment system is anchored in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and requires self-assessment. (MLH)

Educators in the Fowler (California) Unified School District have found that teacher evaluation portfolios help link improvement and accountability concerns in the peer review process. Portfolios that are structured around professional standards and the school's accountability goals are a good way to measure teacher effectiveness. Implementation…

Teachers assigned to teach on an emergency credential are severely challenged by inadequate understanding of classroom management techniques and instructional methods. Also, California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program is not available to these teachers. This article outlines criteria for principals to include in an inservice…

The current emphasis on accountability, standards, and assessment is missing one important dimension--connection to a sense of values and beliefs. In California, standards are stifling creativity and flexibility; standard-setting is too politicized; test scores are eclipsing democratic values; and cash rewards won't necessarily improve student…

Examines people's typical queries about a child's performance, school success or failure, best learning practices, and ways to determine educational effectiveness. To provide useful information about student achievement, an accountability system must embody clear standards that have been communicated to students, parents, teachers and other…

A Sacramento district developed a strategic plan designed to promote responsibility and lift people up. At least 9 out of 10 students must meet rigorous performance standards by 2001. Accountability is embedded in good instruction, curriculum alignment, instructional materials, staff development, and core beliefs and trust. (MLH)

In 1998-99, the 51,000-student Sacramento City (California) Unified School District saw unprecedented gains in SAT-9 scores. Significant attention was given to establishing a culture of accountability and collegiality, initiating a well- organized professional-development campaign, developing focused and frequent communications, and raising…

The Academic Performance Index is the centerpiece of California's Public School Accountability System and the new measuring stick for state schools. Principals can use the API as a diagnostic tool to provide information specific to their schools and highly relative to economically and socially similar schools. (MLH)

Staff at the Cucamonga (California) School District discovered no magic key to improving mediocre student performance in their schools. Academic gains became evident only after implementing several steady-improvement strategies in teaching, instructional technologies, learning focus, libraries, remedial reading, and summer school. (MLH)