The Little Hoover Commission is reviewing California’s educational governance and accountability system.  The Commission will assess the education structure in Sacramento and take a deeper look at how the state and local education bureaucracy implements, evaluates and enforces the accountability system.  The study will explore how the actions of the California Department of Education, county offices of education and local school districts help improve student achievement.  The study will review the implementation of standards, assessment programs, interventions and data-analysis systems.  The Commission will make recommendations on how to fix gaps in the system and reduce overlap from Sacramento down to the district and school level to improve student outcomes.

If you would like more information regarding this study please contact the project manager, Eric Stern. To be notified electronically of meetings, events, or when the report is complete, please send a request to littlehoover@lhc.ca.gov.
 

Previous Studies

Teach Our Children Well
In this assessment of the challenges schools face attracting and retaining skilled teachers, the Commission recommended reforms to improve teacher preparation and credentialing, upgrade obsolete school facilities, support new teachers, and strengthen educational leadership.  The Commission recommended rigorous evaluation of teacher workforce programs to determine which programs work, which need to be fixed and which should be discontinued.  The Commission also recommended centralizing responsibility for improving the teacher workforce under the authority of a single public official and holding that official responsible for making steady progress to resolve teacher workforce problems.

Open Doors and Open Minds:  Improving Access and Quality in California's Community Colleges
The mission of California’s community colleges is to provide access to postsecondary academic and vocational education opportunities for all who can benefit.  In its assessment of community colleges, the Commission found examples of outstanding community college programs but also found policies, administrative processes and budgeting practices that inhibit the best outcomes for students and the public.  The Commission recommended reforms to improve teaching, ensure students have access to quality programs, align funding with educational objectives, and strengthen community college governance.

To Build A Better School
In an extensive assessment of the capacity of school districts to manage and successfully build schools, the Commission found that many districts lack the expertise to manage major school construction projects.  Many administrators, struggling with the challenges of public education, are at best distracted by and at worst unqualified to manage school construction projects.  The Commission made recommendations to strengthen the ability of school districts to fund school construction, streamline the state school construction oversight processes and help districts develop the expertise and the procedures that are needed to avoid financial disasters and ensure that facilities are efficiently designed, built and maintained.

Recommendations for Improving the School Facility Program in Los Angeles Unified School District
As part of the Commission’s review of several large urban school districts, the Commission found the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to be a disturbingly dysfunctional organization – too large to serve its students, staffed by an overgrown and inbred bureaucracy, and poorly governed.  The Commission urged the State Allocation Board not to convey any additional money to LAUSD until comprehensive school construction management reforms are fully in place.  The Commission also urged state leaders to partner  with Los Angeles civic leaders; to fully develop structural alternatives, including the breakup of LAUSD into smaller districts; and, create a separate authority for school facilities.

The Charter Movement: Education Reform School by School
Following a six-month study of charter schools, the Commission issued findings showing that charter schools are a positive force in California’s education system.  In this report, the Commission presents four findings and twenty-three recommendations to improve charter school laws, including eliminating the charter school cap; funding charter schools directly from the State; recognizing charter schools as separate, legal agencies; creating alternative sponsors and alternative petition mechanisms; and, clarifying the funding base for charter schools.

Chance to Succeed: Providing English Learners with Supportive Education
The Commission examined English learner programs and found that programs that require a single teaching method were divisive, wasteful and counterproductive. In three findings and five recommendations, the Commission recommends revising state funding mechanisms so that schools have an incentive to help students attain English proficiency; establishing a state framework for local control over methods used; and, holding schools accountable for results.