P B Policy Brief 08-4 AUGUST 2008 Susanna Loeb is a professor of education at Stanford University, Director of the Institute for Research on Educational Policy and Practice, and a Co-Director at PACE. She specializes in the economics of education and the relationship between schools and federal, state, and local policies. David N. Plank is Executive Director of PACE. Learning What Works: Continuous Improvement in California’s Education System Susanna Loeb David N. Plank C alifornians expect a lot from their educational system. he state has set high standards for student learning, and we expect our schools to ensure that all children meet those standards. The continued health of California’s economy requires a steadily increasing supply of highly educated and highly skilled workers, and we look to our schools to prepare them. Executive Summary What will it take to bring about dramatic improvements in the performance of California’s education system? The fact is, we don’t know. California does not now collect the kind of educational data that would allow us to accu- rately measure the performance of schools and students, or to evaluate the effectiveness of different educational policies and practices. We design and implement policies in ways that make it difficult or impossible to identify whether new approaches improve performance or increase learning. In this report we argue that to raise student performance and satisfy public expec- tations, California’s education system must be transformed into a continuously improving system that encourages innovation, carefully measures the effectiveness of different policies and practices, and—most importantly—learns from experience. The essential features of a continuously improving system include: n clear and specific goals n timely, reliable information n strong capacity n decision-making flexibility n aligned incentives The key to change is the commitment to learning how to do things better, and to continuously improve the performance of our schools and of the children under their care. Reorganizing the education system to support continuous improvement will make it possible for California to keep its promises to students, and help to ensure the continued prosperity of our state. Sadly, the current performance of California’s schools falls short of public expectations. The academic achievement of many students does not meet state standards, and many young people leave school without the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to California’s constantly changing economy.