The Dire Situation for California Kids and Who Will Help Us Stop It
In so many fields, California is a leader — we’re the world’s fifth largest economy and the birthplace of so many innovative new technologies — but in education, we’re still not hitting the mark.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction leads the California Department of Education (CDE) and is the only elected statewide position that should be focused solely on delivering a high-quality education to every student in California. To have the best public schools, our state superintendent and CDE must be highly effective in supporting all aspects of our state’s education system. That includes:
Serving and supporting county offices of education, school districts, and schools, and holding them accountable for serving all students well
Working with the governor, legislature, and state board of education to pass policies that best support our public schools
Representing the voices of students, parents, and educators on a number of state boards and commissions that impact our K-12 system
Too often, the state superintendent and CDE have spent too much time on compliance and regulation, and not enough time on those core focus areas. We need to shift the culture and practices of California’s statewide education leadership. It should be about providing support to districts, sharing best practices, uplifting the voices of practicing educators, and prioritizing the interests of our students.