Following up on the 2004 documentary, First to Worst, about the history of California public schools, this new PBS documentary asks: Is it possible that the largest school system in the country—educating one of every eight American schoolchildren—is worse off than ever?

Provides an update on the 2005 CenterView featuring 8th grade Algebra I. Finds that not much has changed in three years with California middle school students still struggling in Algebra I and 32% of middle school math teachers lacking a subject matter credential in math.

Examines the current educational conditions faced by foster youth in California and offers recommendations to improve outcomes for the over 74,000 foster youth in the state\'s care.

This report, released by The California Education Collaborative for Children in Foster Care, calls for a sharper focus on the educational outcomes for children in foster care and offers recommendations for strengthening the policies and systems that support them.

California is in the position to take the next step to strengthen its public schools. The creation of a broader, coherent, and consistent teacher development system will ensure every teaching professional has the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skill to be effective in the classroom.

This policy brief represents a professional consensus regarding the dimensions of teaching quality and the issues that need to be addressed if California is to ensure high quality instruction for all students. It is based on the work of an expert panel of education stakeholders who reviewed research, met with outside experts, and discussed in depth the issue of teaching quality.

California's budget crisis jeopardizes the progress made in strengthening the teaching workforce. The threat of impending teacher layoffs will weaken the teacher preparation pipeline and affect the state's ability to attract and retain thousands of teachers it can't afford to lose.

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California’s teaching workforce and the challenges confronting the state’s educators and policy-makers. Findings show California has reduced the number of underprepared teachers by more than 25,000 over the past five years, though staffing challenges still persist. The report also examines how quality is measured across key points in a teacher’s career - teacher preparation, hiring, and evaluation - and concludes that California currently does not have a coherent teacher development system to recruit, prepare, hire and mentor new teachers, or provide necessary support to veteran teachers.

Examines the prevalence of out-of-field teaching in California's high schools. Recent data show that 20% of high school physical science teachers have a credential in something other than physical science and that the practice of assigning teachers out-of-field is widespread across all high schools in the state.

Reviews findings from a survey on why teachers leave the profession and what might prompt them to stay or return to the classroom. Based on research conducted by Dr. Ken Futernick of the California State University's Center for Teacher Quality.

Presents the need for sound, reliable teacher workforce information and outlines what the recent passage of SB 1614 (Simitian, 2006) can (and cannot) offer in terms of creating a comprehensive, longitudinal teacher workforce data system in California.

This report, authored by Dr. Ken Futernick and released by the California State University’s Center for Teacher Quality, states that California can ease its critical teacher shortage and encourage teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools by making meaningful improvements to the teaching and learning environment. Based on an online survey of nearly 2000 teachers, the report provides insights into the reasons teachers leave, and offers specific recommendations on what California policymakers and education leaders can do to get more qualified teachers to stay. The report cites research showing 22 percent of California teachers leave the profession after their first four years in the classroom. Additionally, 10 percent of teachers transfer away from high poverty schools each year. California spends more than $455 million each year to recruit, hire, and prepare replacement teachers. The most serious consequence of high teacher turnover is the loss of continuity, experience and expertise that negatively impacts the educational experience of students.

This report provides data specific to the mathematics and science teaching workforce in California. Findings include that more than ten percent of all math and science teachers are underprepared, including more than one third of novice math and science teachers. And that at the current rate of teacher preparation, California will fall short by 30 percent of the fully prepared math and science teachers needed by California schools. While acknowledging the important progress made by policymakers in strengthening teaching in California in recent years, the report calls for concrete action to ensure high quality math and science instruction for all students in all grades.

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California’s teaching workforce and the challenges confronting the state’s educators and policy-makers. While the report finds progress toward reducing the shortage of teachers, it raises concerns about low student achievement and the implications for the state’s ability to meet the proficiency requirements of No Child Left Behind. The report also highlights the need for continued vigilance in efforts to reduce teacher shortages, particularly in special education, mathematics and science, and in certain geographic regions.

Provides an update on California's progress in meeting the requirement under No Child Left Behind that all teachers are "highly qualified." In 2004-05, 74% of all core academic classes were taught by NCLB-compliant teachers, yet the state’s high-minority schools reported fewer “highly qualified” teachers than the low-minority schools.

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California’s teaching workforce and identifies the challenges confronting the state’s educators and policymakers. While the report acknowledges the gains made by California in reducing the number of teachers working on emergency permits, it also documents the unfair assignment of the least prepared teachers and a resurgent teacher shortage at a time when California is greatly challenged by high stakes state and federal requirements.

Examines the professional development and support that teachers receive to help them work with students with special needs. In our survey, 88% of all teachers reported having special education students in their classes, yet only 30% reported having adequate training to effectively teach those students.

Reviews findings from a survey of more than 5,000 California teachers, which found that teachers participate in few professional development opportunities targeted on working effectively with second language learners, despite their making up 25% of the student population.

Presents a strong case for the creation of a statewide teacher data system by highlighting some of the simple teacher workforce questions that cannot be answered because such a system does not currently exist.

This survey of more than 5,000 California teachers examines their experiences, challenges and professional development needs in teaching the state’s more than 1.6 million students designated as English learners. Listening to Teachers of English Language Learners was a collaborative project of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), the University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute (UC LMRI) and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.

Reviews the low performance of California students in Algebra I alongside data showing that a large number of middle school Algebra I teachers do not have a mathematics credential.

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California’s teaching workforce and examines the preparation, induction and professional development of teachers. The report also discusses the contextual issues facing the California education system today, including the No Child Left Behind legislation, the California High School Exit Exam, and the settlement of the Williams v. California lawsuit.

Describes how California's growing population of special education students is held to the same high standards of achievement as their general education peers even though there is a significant shortage of credentialed special education teachers. The problem is particularly troublesome in schools serving high proportions of poor and minority students.

Describes the factors influencing the serious shortage of fully prepared and effective science teachers. Data show that the least prepared among these science teachers are concentrated in low-performing schools, a fact that raises questions about equal access to quality science instruction, particularly for the state’s low-income and minority students.

Based on 2002-03 data, this edition of CenterView takes an early look at California's ability to meet the requirement under the No Child Left Behind legislation that all teachers be "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

Documents the increasing expectations for student achievement at the same time that investments in teacher development are diminishing. This collision course raises serious concerns for California's students, especially those in low-performing schools which are most impacted.

The condition of public schools in California is the subject of a 2004 PBS documentary titled First to Worst. The film, hosted by journalist John Merrow, chronicles the rise and fall of California’s public school system, the largest in the nation and home to one of every eight American students.

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California's teaching workforce and examines the preparation, induction and professional development of teachers. The report also examines the preparation of those assigned to teach special education and English language learning students, and the shortage of qualified teachers in the fields of mathematics and science.

This 2002 statewide public opinion survey highlights the priorities of Californians, their attitudes about spending on education, their opinions about key issues such as teacher qualifications, and priorities for the steps the state should take to improve its system of public education. The survey shows Californians believe that education is the top priority for the state to address right now, and that the public supports spending more, not less, on improving public education.