California's Local Control and Accountability Plan Policy: A 51-District Mixed-Methods Study

• In Event: Can National and State Policies Ameliorate Systemic Inequities?

Abstract

As part of California’s 2013 school finance reform, school districts must develop Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to identify programs districts will implement to make schools work better for students. Using mixed methods, we compare the LCAPS of 26 relatively high-performing districts to those of 25 relatively low-performing districts. Among the 41 programs we identify in LCAPS, we find very few areas where the prevalence of specific programs is higher in relatively high-performing districts. Yet, a few differences emerge. High performing school districts provide ongoing professional development to teachers and administrators, develop instructional systems to support student learning and focus on low-income students. Conversely, the low performing districts focus more on counseling, behavioral supports and family engagement.

Authors

• Christina Murdoch Mills, University of California, Davis

• Heather Rose, University of California - Davis