CALIFORNIA P-16 COUNCIL
Barry Munitz, Chair
San Diego County Office of Education
South County Regional Education Center
800 National City Boulevard
National City, CA 91950
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Welcoming Remarks from Barry Munitz
Dr. Barry Munitz welcomed the P-16 Council and the members of the audience. Dr. Munitz thanked the San Diego County Office of Education for hosting the meeting and he praised the Council members for their commitment and hard work over the summer.
Dr. Munitz introduced four new members to the Council: Carole Bogue-Feinour, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the California Community Colleges; Jim Dilday, Principal of Curtis Middle School in San Bernardino Unified School District; Michael King, Director of Education Industry for IBM Corporation; and, Juan Mendoza, a student at California State University, Sacramento.
Housekeeping Issues
- Summary Meeting Notes – The Council approved the summary notes from the March 1, 2006 and the June 19, 2006 meetings.
- Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act Requirements – Sue Stickel reminded Council members that all P-16 subcommittee meetings must follow the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. For example, when a subcommittee conference call is held, each site from which a member of the P-16 Council participates must be accessible to the public and identified on the subcommittee agenda. The agenda must be posted on the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Web site at least ten days prior to the meeting.
Sue conveyed to the Council members that if they needed assistance in locating a site to conduct their subcommittee conference calls, their CDE subcommittee liaisons would assist them.
- Professional Development Recommendations – Sue Stickel reminded the Council that the deadline to submit items to the State Superintendent for consideration for his February 2007 legislative agenda was fast approaching. In order to meet the deadlines, the subcommittees that wanted one or all of their professional development recommendations to be forwarded to the State Superintendent, would first need to obtain the Council’s approval at the December 5, 2006, P-16 meeting.
Presentations
Governor’s Advisory Committee on Education Excellence
Dr. Ted Mitchell, Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Education Excellence (Committee), provided a brief background on the Committee. He explained that the goal of the Committee is to focus on four key areas:
- The distribution and adequacy of education funding
- The functioning and effectiveness of governance structures
- Teacher recruitment and training
- The preparation and retention of school administrators
Dr. Mitchell discussed, “Getting Down to Facts”, a research project currently being conducted that consists of more than 20 studies. The studies aim to identify what reforms are needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the school system and to assess how much it should cost to provide every child in California with a good education. The research project was requested by the Committee, Democratic leaders in the California State Legislature, and Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. It addresses three broad questions:
- What do California school finance and governance systems look like today?
- How can we use the resources that we have more effectively to improve student outcomes?
- To what extent are additional resources needed so that California’s students can meet the goals that we have for them?
Dr. Mitchell stated that the 20 studies from the research project will be released in January 2007.
Preschool
Marcy Whitebook, Director for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and Catherine Atkins, President of Preschool California, presented information on the importance of quality preschools and the unique issues associated with preschools. They provided background information on the qualifications, preparation, training, and credentialing issues of preschool personnel.
Catherine Atkins discussed the passing of Assembly Bill 172 which provides $50 million to increase preschool enrollment in programs located in the attendance areas surrounding California’s lowest performing elementary schools. Of the $50 million:
- $45 million is targeted to increase preschool access; and
- $5 million is divided to provide each preschool classroom with $2,500 for any of the following: compensation and support costs for program coordinators, staff development, family literacy services, and instructional materials.
Groupwork
The Council members convened into their subcommittees. Each subcommittee was provided time to work on their essential questions.
Reconvene Group for Report Out of Accomplishments
Each subcommittee provided a brief report on the information that they discussed within their group and their next steps.
Subcommittee 1
Members:
Richard Alonzo
Judy D’Amico, Coordinator
Herb Fischer (absent)
Mike King
Sherry Lansing (absent)
Lionel (Skip) Meno
Stanley Murphy
Carol Rava Treat
Jack Stewart (absent)
Carol Tomlinson-Keasey
Virginia Victoria
Curtis Washington
Chris Dowell, CDE Subcommittee Liaison
Essential Question for Subcommittee 1
How can California attract a high quality and diverse workforce to the education profession to fill the demand created by retiring staff and growing school districts?
Subcommittee 1 – Synopsis of Discussion and Next Steps
- “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” the Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME), and “Project Lead the Way” were discussed in the context of teacher recruitment for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses.
- Development of a “Fast Pass” approach to train and prepare industry professionals to become teachers.
- The need to explore alternative credentialing programs to fill teaching positions.
- Future conference call date: October 24, 2006.
Subcommittee 2
Members:
Arlene Ackerman (absent)
Catherine Atkin
Marlene Canter (absent)
Gary Hart
Bob Hudson
Harold Levine, Coordinator
Juan Mendoza
KimOanh Nguyen-Lam
Barbara Ross
Anne Stanton
Peter Thorp
Kendall Vaught
Marsha Harms, CDE Subcommittee Liaison
Essential Question for Subcommittee 2
How can we work to ensure that California’s pre-service programs develop fully prepared teachers and administrators and other instructional staff?
Subcommittee 2 – Synopsis of Discussion and Next Steps
- Subcommittee 2 divided the pre-service essential question into three phases: preparation for teachers, preparation for administrators, and adding linkages to districts and teacher training institutes.
- The need to restructure teacher preparation programs.
- Current linkages between colleges of education, school districts, and schools.
- Future conference call dates: to be determined.
Subcommittee 3
Members:
Carrie Allen (absent)
Carole Bogue-Feinour
Sandy Clifton-Bacon, Coordinator
Shelley Davis
Jim Dilday
Jody Graf (absent)
Dián Hasson (absent)
Bill Jackson (absent)
Allison Jones (absent)
Carol Katzman (absent)
Linda Murray (absent)
Diane Siri
Carroll Stevens
Nancy Zarenda, CDE Subcommittee Liaison
Essential Question for Subcommittee 3
How should we support new teachers, administrators, and instructional classified employees?
Subcommittee 3 – Synopsis of Discussion and Next Steps
- The need for a unified state strategy to fund induction support for a minimum of two years for new teachers, administrators, and instructional staff.
- The requirements, strengths, and challenges of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Induction Program.
- The five-year coaching model called Leadership Matters.
- Future conference call dates: to be determined.
Subcommittee 4
Members:
Manny Barbara (absent)/ Kathleen McCreery (alternate)
Dorothy Chu
Carl Guardino (absent)/ Dennis Cima (alternate)
Wyatt Hume (absent)/ Hilary Baxter (alternate)
Jo Loss, Coordinator
Patty Martel
Martha Penry
Scott Plotkin (absent)
Rhonda Rios-Kravitz
Alan Siegel
Suzanne Tacheny (absent)
Marcy Whitebook
Joyce Wright (absent)
Arleen Burns, CDE Subcommittee Liaison
Essential Question for Subcommittee 4
How should continuing educators be supported through professional development?
Subcommittee 4 – Synopsis of Discussion and Next Steps
- Professional development for pre-kindergarten teachers is very different from that of K-12 teachers.
- Critical elements common to a range of successful professional development strategies need to be identified.
- Professional development needs to be accessible, team-based, inclusive for pre-kindergarten through college, and applicable to school professionals who are traditionally left out (i.e. librarians, paraprofessionals, adult school staff).
- Future conference call date: October 23, 2006.
Planning for the December 2006 Meeting
The next meeting is on December 5, 2006 at the California School Employees Association in San Jose, California.
Approved by P-16 Council members on December 5, 2006.
Summary Meeting Notes (PDF; 70KB ; 6pp.; 20-Dec-2006)
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814