6 EDCAL October 1 , 2018
Elementary school student named city ’ s ‘ Kid Mayor ’
Fifth-grader Leonardo Ramirez was appointed Lynwood ’ s Kid Mayor for the month of September . The Kid Mayor program inspires young people to get involved in public service .
GDTF 2
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and coordinated that effort then . She returned for this second round of reports , as did a number of other researchers who were involved in the first go-round .
The overall tenor of the findings suggests that California needs to continue with the reforms in place , while building capacity in implementation of the state standards , increasing funding and expanding access to early education , among other suggestions . They did not include any concrete recommendations on how to pay for all that these initiatives . The entire report , as well as a summary , can be accessed on the Policy Analysis for California Education website at www . gettingdowntofacts . com .
Some of the key findings , as outlined in the GDTF 2 summary :
• California still lags the nation in
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Lincoln Elementary School fifth-grader Leonardo Ramirez dreams of one day becoming President of the United States and solving the country ’ s health care crisis .
Ramirez took a small step in that direction last month when he was appointed Lynwood ’ s “ Kid Mayor ” for September during a city council meeting . Ramirez was awarded $ 400 toward his college education , received a name plaque , a certificate and a pin to wear when he attends city-sponsored events .
“ I was really excited about being named Kid Mayor , but
achievement in reading and math , even when accounting for income and racial / ethnic differences ; however , the state ’ s students have been performing better over time and have been increasing at a faster rate than the rest of the nation .
• Superintendents , principals , teachers , and state and regional education leaders widely support recent reforms . In the areas of finance , standards and information infrastructure , California has improved . However , the state falls short of realizing the potential of these new systems because of serious capacity limitations .
• Initial research provides evidence that the Local Control Funding Formulainduced increases in school funding led to increases in high school graduation rates and academic achievement , particularly among low-income and minority students . A $ 1,000 increase in district per-pupil spending experienced in grades 10-12 led to an estimated 5.9 percentage-point increase also a little nervous because I had to lead the city council meeting ,” Ramirez said . “ It was cool to meet the real mayor . This lets me know that I can be a leader one day .”
The city ’ s Kid Mayor program was created by Lynwood Mayor Jose Solache to inspire young people to get involved in public service . Students are nominated by their principal and a new Kid Mayor is appointed each month . The newly-elected students spend time with the city ’ s elected officials and experience community events .
“ The Kid Mayor program humanizes our city officials for our children and also makes their dreams of rising to leadership roles feel more attainable ,” said Lynwood USD Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite . “ Through the program , our students are learning the importance of being engaged in
in high school graduation rates . However , some districts still struggle with how to allocate resources to evidenced-based practices given their new flexibility , and a large group of districts do not have access to the necessary supports to build the knowledge and skills that they need .
• The new standards also have broad local support . Moreover , aid for instructional improvement and alignment of aid with standards has improved . However , educators have difficulty assessing quality and selecting the best available options . Many superintendents look to the state for help and information , but the California Department of Education does not have the capacity to reliably support the improvement of instruction .
• The state ’ s education data system is now richer , with information on student learning over time and mobility across districts , potentially allowing for better decision-making . However , access to data is severely limited , significant gaps in data remain and the CDE does not have the capacity to use the data effectively to guide policy decisions .
Addressing the achievement gap
• California has greater disparities among student groups than other states . In more affluent California districts , student achievement levels are similar to the average performance in affluent communities nationally , but students in non-affluent districts score , on average , nearly a full grade level behind their national counterparts .
• At least part of these inequalities stem from unequal education in K-12 schools . For example , schools serving less advantaged students tend to have more difficulty filling teaching positions and , as a result , employ fewer experienced and appropriately credentialed teachers and principals . Moreover , many English learners in California do not have equitable access to grade-level core content instruction , partly because ELs may be tracked into lower-level content area classes and because English language development classes often crowd out content instruction .
• The learning rates of California ’ s third through eighth grade students are the same or slightly better than other students nationwide . Low-income students lag behind their national counterparts , however , primarily because of lower school-readiness levels among entering kindergartners . Black and Latino children and dual language learners are less likely to have attended preschool than white children . Children from low-income families are more likely to have child care that is license exempt , not having to meet any quality standards . This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that reimbursement rates remain low , resulting in child care workers in California receiving low wages and benefits . This leads to 58 percent of them who depend on at least one public income support .
Increasing funding and fixing
systems
• California school district expenditure levels have not only recovered from their post-recession lows in 2007 , but also reached higher levels in 2016-17 than at any their community at an early age .”
Lincoln Elementary School Principal Geraldine Rescinito nominated Ramirez because of his charismatic personality and willingness to assist classmates . Ramirez practices leadership in his household as the oldest of three siblings . He often helps his 6-year-old brother with tasks and changes diapers of his 1-month-old sister .
“ Leonardo is the kind of kid who is always looking for opportunities to be useful ,” Rescinito said . “ He is a very active student who always has a positive attitude – whether in the classroom or on the soccer field .”
Lincoln recognized Ramirez ’ s new role during a school assembly , and he proudly wore his Kid Mayor pin around school campus .
point since 2004-05 .
• The average school revenue per pupil in California is substantially above Florida , on par with Texas and Ohio , but lower than Illinois and substantially lower than many northeastern states , including New York . At least in part due to the higher cost of living and wages of college graduates in California , average teacher salaries are higher in California than in these comparison states except for New York .
• The shortage of resources combined with high salaries has resulted in California having far fewer adults in schools than most other states . For example , California ranks at or near the bottom of all states in the percentage of K-12 public school students with access to adults who provide various types of health care or mental health services inside their school buildings . Prior research studies have linked these services to better child behavior , reduced emergency department usage , higher educational success , and lower teen birth rates .
• One study estimates that an additional 32 percent above actual spending would have been necessary for all California students to have had the opportunity to meet the goals set by the State Board of Education . On a per-pupil basis , that would average around $ 16,800 per student in school district costs . That compares with actual California district-level spending of $ 12,750 per student that year . However , the study does not make specific recommendations on tax reform options the state could pursue to make these increased investments .
• The pension system is drawing substantial funds away from school operating expenditures . Past contributions were not nearly enough to cover the costs and since 2014 has resulted in substantial increases in contributions required of teachers , school districts , and the state . Without intervention , this drain on system resources to support students will continue to expand , requiring expenditures approximately equivalent to one-third of teacher salaries by 2021 .
• LCFF did not change special education finance in California , which can be unpredictable and draining for districts . Getting Down to Facts 2 researchers interviewed approximately 50 chief budget officers from a randomly chosen set of school districts , and all the CBOs identified special education funding as one of their three biggest concerns .
• California has wide disparities in school facility funding that are systematically related to school district property wealth , driven in part by California ’ s antiquated School Facility Program which operates on a first-come , first-served basis and as a result favors wealthier and larger districts that are better positioned to provide the required matching funds .
While the studies provide a comprehensive overview of the state of TK-12 education in California , the researchers did not go as far as making policy recommendations . Instead , it is their hope their findings will help spur robust discussions between policymakers and stakeholders . It is likely that the Legislature will utilize the findings from these studies to consider reforms in education laws in 2019 and beyond . ACSA has started to examine opportunities to pursue changes in law that benefit students .