Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education
Access to Quality Education
Summary
In the aggregate, the foregoing recommendations commit the State to providing all students with the resources, instruction, and support necessary to achieve the competencies that standards and college admissions requirements demand, and should be viewed as indicators of students' opportunities to learn that are routinely monitored and reported to the public (see Recommendation 27). At a minimum, the State must enable local schools to provide every K-12 student with all of the following:
- A clear statement of the academic standards that both define what students are expected to know and be able to do and what the system in turn will do for them at every level;
- Appropriately credentialed teachers, administrators, and counselors, all of whom combine subject matter knowledge, high expectations, and knowledge of requirements and expectations, together with other supportive staff;
- Accurate information about successful preparation for college eligibility and postsecondary options;
- A course of study that provides equitable access to a curriculum that integrates rigorous academic content with robust career pathways;
- Appropriate, high-quality learning materials and resources, including textbooks and technologies that engage students in the knowledge they are expected to learn;
- Suitable learning environments, including classrooms, facilities, and buildings; and
- Appropriate kinds of learning support to provide assistance in meeting high expectations.
The failure to successfully recruit qualified teachers and faculty can have long-term, serious social and economic consequences for both students and the state. Californians understand that well-qualified teachers are key to improving the achievement of all students. They believe that all children should have such teachers as virtually a fundamental right and that low-income students, in particular, have been most often denied that right. The essential components of quality that we have outlined in this section, and to which all California learners should have access, are reaffirmed by a survey of the measures deemed by Californians to be most important to lifting student achievement, as shown in Table 4, following.
Measures to Lift Student Achievement Deemed Very Important | |
---|---|
Schools safe from violence | 89% |
Ensuring a well-qualified teacher in every classroom | 87% |
Greater parental involvement in children's education | 84% |
Getting fully qualified principals who can effectively run their schools | 79% |
The availability of high-quality textbooks and other instructional materials | 74% |
A challenging curriculum - the subject matter that is taught | 73% |
Increasing the opportunities for teachers to undertake professional development to strengthen their teaching skills | 69% |
Ensuring that school buildings and facilities are in good condition | 67% |
Strict discipline in the classroom | 65% |
Reduced class size | 65% |
Student access to computers in school | 61% |
Source: Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. A Survey of Public Attitudes in California Toward Teaching, Educational Opportunity, and School Reform, 2000 |
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