We have compiled a range of great materials and resources for local stakeholders created by Alliance organizations, partners and media organizations. These are grouped by topics: Local Control Funding Formula, Local Control and Accountability Plans, California School Dashboard, System of Support and Continuous Improvement, and more.

LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA (LCFF)

• Ed100: Chapter 8.5 LCFF Primer: provides a thorough and accessible description (with infographics) about how money gets allocated from the state to local districts. The resource includes explanations of “basic aid” and how special education dollars are separately allocated.
• EdSource: Local Control Funding Formula Essentials Guide: A primer on the Local Control Funding Formula (Available in Spanish).
• Californians for Justice: Keeping Students and Families at the Heart of LCFF (2015): A powerpoint presentation, developed by Californians for Justice, guiding district and community leaders in a process to understand meaningful student and family engagement as part of the development of Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs). See the full report here.
• Californians for Justice: CA’s Fair Funding for Students Make More Possible: a 4-minute video that provides some background information on the history of LCFF and how additional funding helps historically underserved students.

LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLANS (LCAPS)

• NEW: LCAP Engagement and Alignment: Early Learnings From San Juan USD Brief
• CSBA: Six Essential School Board Roles in LCAP Implementation and Development (5/19): Geared toward school boards and superintendents/District leaders to understand their respective roles and how they can work together as part of LCAP development and implementation.
• Ed100: LCAP Parent Checklist: Geared toward parent leaders, the (in or) helps to guide school and community conversations around school performance, priorities, resources and outcomes, and how those conversations are reflected in a district’s Local Control Accountability Plan.
• EdTrust West: The LCAP Watch includes links to several useful planning and communications tools for district and community leaders and advocates. These include LCAP Development Tools, Online LCAP Templates & Wizards, and School Budgeting Resources. They also provide examples of District’s LCAP Executive Summaries, LCAP planning community flyers and meetings materials, as well as budget transparency and data sharing tools.
• Fight Crime, Invest in Kids: Using the California School Dashboard and LCAP to Improve School Climate: An Analysis of 2017-18 LCAPs for California’s 50 Largest School Districts: A comprehensive analysis of LCAPs and areas for improvement, with particular attention to school climate and discipline.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD 

• CDE Foundation: CA School Dashboard Videos: Multiple videos in English and Spanish for parents and local communities.
• CA PTA: The School Accountability Dashboard — online resources: This PTA resource includes a 50-minute comprehensive webinar geared toward parent and school leaders that provides a thorough introduction to the CA School Dashboard.
• CA PTA: “Parenting and School Improvement Have a Lot in Common,” from PTA in California, Volume 80, Issue 1, pages 9-10: A parent-friendly introduction to the CA School Dashboard and how parents can access it to better understand how their child’s school is doing.
• Alameda County Office of Education: CA School Dashboard web resources: This webportal includes a 4-minute animated video explaining the CA School Dashboard.
• CDE: CDE’s main portal to the CA School Dashboard, includes a State Summary of performance, and tools to look up specific district and school performance. The website also includes FAQs and resources such as a quick reference guide to the “local indicators,” downloadable data files, and links to information about CA’s standardized assessments and School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs).
• CDE: One page summary describing the CA School Dashboard (updated September 2018), highlighting user-friendly changes from the original Dashboard.
• CDE: CA School Dashboard Navigator: an interactive and customizable mapping tool (GIS) for visualizing school and student group performance for each of the state indicators and student groups.
• CSBA: The California School Dashboard and Small Districts (10/18): Helpful summary for school board and district leaders, highlighting dashboard issues that small districts might face.

SYSTEM OF SUPPORT AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• CDE Foundation: What is Continuous Improvement: Briefs in English and Spanish
• CSBA: The Power of Networks: Accelerating Collaborative Learning to Improve Student Success – Fact Sheet (11/17): Brief from the LCFF Collaborative Working Group, a partnership between CSBA and California Forward, specifically focused on what the group learned about what works in effective learning networks between superintendents and school board members.
• CCEE: California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is a statewide agency that works collaboratively with other state agencies, county offices of education (COEs), and stakeholders to support school and district improvement.
  • This 1-page CA System of Support Handout from the SBE, CDE, and CCEE, provides a succinct description of the System of Support and how districts and schools are supported in their efforts to improve.
  • The CCEE developed this short 2-page CCEE handout that describes the role of the agency within the System of Support.
  • CA School Fieldtrip Podcast: This podcast, produced by the CCEE, features easily accessible and informative episodes (approximately 15-30 minutes each) featuring the stories of diverse school communities across the state that are working to improve teaching and learning.
  • The CCEE Resource Collection: This website links to CCEE’s free and customizable school and district improvement toolkits. Topics have been selected based on the emerging needs of educators and education stakeholders in the field.
• Alameda County Office of Education:
  • One-page infographic explaining “Differentiated Assistance
  • One-page infographic explaining how schools are identified for needing additional improvement support
• California Teachers Association: “Beyond Test Scores: New accountability system clarifies school and district focus on continuous improvement for students,” California Educator, October 2016, Vol. 21, Issue 3: This short article reviews the changes in the state’s accountability system from one of a single indicator to multiple measures, and a focus on continuous improvement.

ADDITIONAL

• CSBA: The School Board Role in Creating the Conditions for Student Achievement: Comprehensive summary and synthesis of research on school board’s roles in supporting district wide improvement in student achievement.