In March 2017, the California Department of Education released the new California School Dashboard. These web‐based dashboards communicate information about schools and districts using multiple measures and color‐coded performance levels, with Blue representing the highest possible performance and Red the lowest. This field test version is a meaningful first step. But it is also clear that more work is needed to give parents, students, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders an accessible picture of how schools are doing. In this brief, we offer observations on the new dashboard and suggestions for how California leaders can make improvements so that it better supports equity, accountability, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
