It has also made unparalleled investments to reduce class sizes, improve its teaching force, and it has made massive investments of resources into the K-12 school budgets that will again make California competitive nationally. Still, much work remains. CBEE remains actively involved in the development and implementation of education policy at the state level to raise standards for performance, build the capacity of teachers and leaders, measure and report progress, ensure meaningful accountability, and increase competition and flexibility within the public schools. The following provides a brief report of progress and important next steps in each of these areas. Raising Standards for Student Performance Clear and rigorous standards are the starting point for any improvement effort.
Standards make clear what ought to be accomplished.
In California schools, new state standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science spell out the skills and knowledge students need to learn in these core subject areas. California's standards are consistently rated as among the best in the country, and they can be invaluable tools to focus and improve instruction. In fact, substantial investments have been made to ensure that text books and other learning materials are aligned to the standards. That work will continue. But, for too many, the state's learning standards are the state's best-kept secrets.