Students training to become teachers in UCLA's teacher education program spend part of their training working in Cluster schools. R. Owen spoke of the partnership between Sacramento High School and the UC Davis campus. There are joint faculty meetings with elementary, middle, and high school teachers and UC faculty. The key role UC Davis plays is with subject matter issues, specifically with the development of academic standards. Members discussed the need for the University's partnership efforts to focus on results over process.
Partnerships are productive only if they produce the needed improvements in educational attainment.
R. Owen described Sacramento High School's establishment of 21 performance benchmarks to assess student performance. The media has been notified of these benchmarks so that the public can hold the school accountable. OAB members agreed that funds should not automatically go to the campuses, but be allocated based on clearly defined criteria. G. Hart suggested that we include a commitment by partner schools as part of the criteria. Assessment should be an on-going part of partnerships with schools.