Holding the State Accountable: Empowering Parents Through California’s Williams Uniform Complaint Procedure

• In Event: The Politics of Accountability in Educational Decision Making: Implications of Research for Education Policy Reform

Abstract

In August 2004, the case of Williams v. California was officially settled. In the settlement the state formally accepted its constitutional responsibility to provide an equal education to all public school students. It agreed to provide every student with standards-aligned instructional materials, safe facilities, and qualified teachers. In addition, parents would have access to the Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP), the accountability system implemented to ensure all students are provided with an equal education. This study sheds light on whether the UCP has resulted in real improvements for students. Examining two school communities within LAUSD, it looks at the ways in which coalitions developed between students, parents, and community allies use the UCP to hold the state accountable for school conditions.

Author

• Diana A. Porras, California State University - Long Beach