The goal of Teaching and California’s Future is to strengthen the entire system of teacher development from preparation through ongoing professional development. We work toward better teaching and, in turn, better student learning by using current and reliable information to draw attention to the issues of teaching quality and making recommendations for program improvements and policies that build a more coherent and effective system of teacher preparation and continuing development.

Our partners in this work include the California State University, Public Policy Institute of California, and the University of California Office of the President.

Teaching and California’s Future features a task force that brings together individuals and organizations who share both an interest in improving the quality of education in California and a commitment to ongoing research and analysis of teacher development public policy issues.

Since 1997, SRI International has worked with the Center to produce an annual inventory of California’s teacher workforce. That report, The Status of the Teaching Profession, has become a much anticipated and informative resource for members of the education leadership and policy communities. It includes the most recent information available on teacher supply and demand, and makes it easy to keep track of recent developments in the field of teacher development such as the maldistribution of underprepared teachers and trends in teacher preparation, recruitment, induction, and professional development.

Research for the annual report typically follows a two-year cycle, with each odd year featuring original data collection and analysis and a focus on a particular aspect of the teacher workforce, and each even year providing an update on the teacher workforce using secondary data analysis. In 2007, the focus of the original research was on teaching quality and how teaching assessments are used to strengthen teachers’ skills, knowledge, and practice. In 2009, the focus was on high school teachers and the implications of the high school reform movement for their preparation and support. Due to a lack of available secondary data in 2010, that annual report detailed the impact of budget cuts and policy shifts on California's teaching force based on original research in a number of focus school districts and institutions of higher education. The 2011 report focuses on the role of principals in supporting and strengthening teaching quality.

Teaching and California’s Future also includes the development of policy briefs and public opinion polling on education and teacher quality issues to inform policy-makers and the public. For a complete list of Teaching and California’s Future publications please visit our publications page.