TCLA: What is the purpose of the School Accountability Report Card and how is it used?
Senator Richard Alarcón: The SARC is intended to establish a measure so that we can see how our schools are doing compared to each other, to find out where our dollars are being spent most effectively, and where more money needs to be spent.
TCLA: Some of the information reported points to problems in the schools – for example, high numbers of uncredentialed teachers and low numbers of students graduating eligible for CSU or UC. Who do you think should be “accountable” for remedying these problems?
SRA: I think everybody in the state of California has a responsibility, at the local, state and district level. We have to create an attitude in every person in California that education is essential to everyone.
Recent studies have clearly shown the need to fully train our teachers. Class size reduction does not work if you do not have fully trained teachers. In fact, it has a negative impact. If there is a high degree of untrained teachers and poverty, then the students will actually reduce their performance notwithstanding their class size. So, California has given 200 million dollars to recruit and train newly credentialed teachers and to create incentives for teachers to remain in the profession.
Additionally, last year I introduced a bill (SB-1731) to basically invert the current rule that students are assumed to not go to college unless they declare that they want to go. My bill said that the students are assumed to go to college and if they don’t they have to have another plan. I am going to reintroduce that bill because I do believe that every 11th grade student should be prepared to go to college or graduate with better skills.
"There’s no way to end poverty without a collateral effort to improve education."
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TCLA: Often the SARC’s lack important information – for example, whether students have textbooks and when they get them. Where do you think teachers, students and parents can turn to when they see that their schools are not offering students a quality education?
SRA: I have made phone calls myself as a parent and an elected official where we have heard that schools are not providing textbooks. Parents must be familiar with calling their schools and challenging them if they do not provide textbooks. The state provided 200 million for text books in this years’ budget. Nevertheless, there are principals delaying the purchase of books, waiting for the next edition. It’s up to the parents to call their principals or school board members and demand textbooks.
The state of California is providing $6,300 per student and the national average is $7,600. That doesn’t seem like a big difference, but if you multiply that by hundreds of thousands of students it ends up being a lot. So we have a long way to catch up. Until we get that average up on par with the national average, it is essential that the parents not only inform their schools when they don’t have textbooks, but that they promote local programs to get businesses involved in providing support. There are a lot of ways that parents have to claim responsibility and drive the public school system to provide better resources.
TCLA: Finally, we are very excited about your new initiative to end poverty in California. Does fighting for equal education fit into your agenda for ending poverty?
SRA: There’s no way to end poverty without a collateral effort to improve education. I believe that education provides the options that are necessary for people to apply themselves with maximum productivity, to navigate through the high tech world. Today, even traditional jobs like mechanics or nurses are all computer oriented. Our students must be prepared to be able to deal with the Information world. I believe that one of the greatest contributions to poverty is a lack of education.
