A large part of the country’s education systems have long looked to California Schools to demonstrate what works in education. While many California Public Schools are indeed exemplary, there are also many that are struggling. In 1999, the state of California decided that it needed to take a closer look at these struggling schools, and that these California Schools needed help to overcome their problems.
The California Schools in question shared one common characteristic – a relatively high level of student poverty. Many but not all of them have high percentages of students who were English learners and/or Hispanic, a statistic that has been correlated with student poverty. Most have very small populations of white students.
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The California Schools created the California Schools Recognition Program in 1985. Its purpose is to publicize and reinforce California schools priorities, which are to improve student scholastic achievement and promote students based upon measurable objectives. The program identifies and honors public schools that exhibit exemplary and inspiring achievement. Though participation in the program is voluntary, the California Distinguished School Award is highly coveted.
To be considered for the award, California schools must meet a variety of eligibility requirements. These include designated federal and state accountability measures that are based upon the No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress, and Academic Performance Index measurement programs. Approximately, five percent of California schools are selected each year for the award, with no fewer than 40 counties typically being represented.
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For the past three years California Schools have been the subject of an in-depth analysis of school reform. The study, Beyond the Mountains: An Early Look at Restructuring Results in California, conducted by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), is part of a multi-year review of the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on Maryland, Michigan and California Schools.
The examination concerns specific restructuring methods used by California Schools and their success. According to CEP founder and president Jack Jennings, “While it is still too early to tell whether restructuring is working, it is clear from the experience of California and Michigan, the two states we have studied in-depth, that simply requiring schools to replace staff does not guarantee increased student achievement. Rather, success is linked to implementing multiple improvement strategies.”
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