{"id":115254,"date":"2025-12-31T18:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/115254\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T18:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:38:09","slug":"lack-of-accountability-undermines-california-public-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/115254\/","title":{"rendered":"Lack of accountability undermines California public education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Entrance<\/a>Entrance to the California Department of Education in Sacramento. (File photo court5esy of the state)<\/p>\n

This column\u00a0was originally published by CalMatters.\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for their newsletters.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s public school system, which purports to educate nearly 6 million students ranging from 4-year-olds in transitional kindergarten to near-adults preparing to graduate from high school, is in a world of hurt.<\/p>\n

Its students\u00a0perform poorly in national tests of academic achievemen<\/a>t, some local school districts flirt with insolvency as\u00a0unions press for raises to offset spikes in living costs<\/a>, politicians wrangle over money while issuing a steady stream of mandates and demands and \u2014 on top of everything \u2014 nobody knows who is accountable for outcomes.<\/p>\n

\"Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

The lack of accountability stems from the construction \u2014 in layer after layer \u2014 of overlapping bits of authority that undermine cohesive governance.<\/p>\n

The governor, the state school board he or she appoints, an elected state schools superintendent, the Legislature, locally elected school boards and their superintendents, elected county school superintendents, elected county boards of education and the courts all have input.<\/p>\n

When things are going well, such as an\u00a0upward spike in test scores<\/a>, there\u2019s a rush to claim credit. But when problems arise, everyone involved points to someone or something else.<\/p>\n

Finally, a prestigious collection of education experts is blowing the whistle. Policy Analysis for California Education, a consortium of education faculty at five major California universities, issued a\u00a0detailed report in December on the lack of effective governance<\/a>\u00a0in education, how it evolved and how it might be improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia\u2019s education governance system is a complex network of agencies and entities designed to serve the most diverse and expansive TK\u201312 population in the United States,\u201d the PACE report declares. \u201cThis system incorporates state, regional, and local levels of authority, each tasked with specific responsibilities and oversight. At its core, the structure seeks to balance statewide education goals with local control and accountability. However, its complexity often results in overlapping responsibilities, fragmented authority, and challenges in ensuring streamlined decision-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe need to strengthen California\u2019s education governance has never been more urgent,\u201d PACE concludes. \u201cSchools are grappling with deepening inequities, persistent opportunity gaps, and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning and well-being. At the same time, the federal government\u2019s retreat from its traditional role in civil rights enforcement, accountability, research and evaluation, and oversight places even greater responsibility on states to lead. California must take bold and strategic steps now to ensure that its governance systems are not only coherent and efficient but also equity centered, transparent, and responsive to student needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the report advocates a wide rearrangement of responsibilities among the system\u2019s many players, its most fundamental reform would place the governor at the top of the revised organizational chart while converting the elected state superintendent of public instruction into an ombudsman and independent critic, rather than the operational head of the state Department of Education.<\/p>\n

The department would be managed by an appointee of the state Board of Education, whose members are named by the governor.<\/p>\n

Reimagining the superintendent of public instruction as an independent evaluator and advocate for students \u201cpresents promising opportunities to strengthen systemwide accountability,\u201d PACE says, \u201cbut it also introduces important trade-offs.\u201d PACE questions if the office could still be influential if it lacks implementation authority.<\/p>\n

The need to streamline authority and accountability in California\u2019s school system is self-evident. A state that prides itself on being in the forefront of social progress still tolerates an education governance system created in the 19th century, one that has been augmented piecemeal with little thought about consequences and that prevents California\u2019s voters and parents from really knowing who to hold accountable for obvious shortcomings.<\/p>\n

That lack of clarity\u00a0protects failure from exposure<\/a>\u00a0and inhibits successful programs from being duplicated.<\/p>\n

The PACE report\u2019s proposed changes might not work. Giving the governor more authority might backfire. But we won\u2019t know if we don\u2019t try it.<\/p>\n

CalMatters<\/a>\u00a0is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable.<\/p>\n

Want to submit a letter to the editor, guest column or\u00a0opinion\u00a0piece? Find our guidelines and submission form\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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