LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

The year 2013 will be a pivotal one for education reform in California. In the coming months, our education leaders will be asked to grapple with efforts to improve teacher evaluation; the state’s education finance system; the implementation of new, more rigorous standards; and district and school accountability systems.

Each of these decisions represents an opportunity to further the larger goal of educational equity. Our state leaders, including dozens of newly elected legislators, have a chance to transform the lives of our students and build a foundation of prosperity for California’s next generation.They cannot achieve these goals without fundamentally changing the education trajectories of the students of color and low-income students who comprise the vast majority of our student population. Of our 6 million students, only a privileged few are graduating from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college. Based on current data, only one in 20 African-American and Latino students enrolled in Kindergarten will graduate from high school and receive a degree from a UC or CSU campus.

The EdTrust—West works relentlessly to change these odds by advocating for the strategies necessary to close persistent opportunity and achievement gaps. With the support of parents, students, advocates, and educators, we are building a stronger public education system—one that allows all students to realize their college and career dreams.
Our ambitious policy agenda is designed to answer the following questions:

How can California’s education system ensure that ALL…
 
1. students are taught by effective teachers?
 
2. schools receive adequate and equitable funding?
 
3. students have access to rigorous standards, curriculum, and instruction that prepare them for college and career success?
 
4. schools and districts are held accountable for student learning while receiving the supports needed to improve?

California’s students deserve a better tomorrow, and that begins by building a more equitable education system today. We encourage you to join us in this effort.

To read our 2013 Policy Agenda, click here.

Sincerely,

Arun Ramanathan, Ed.D.
Executive Director