POLICY AND PRACTICE

Overview

The Center on Education Policy, Equity and Governance is committed to ensuring that our work informs local, state and national education policy and practice. Some examples of our impact include:

 

  • Educational Equity in Greater L.A. is a research agenda derived from the insights of practitioners in districts and communities. CEPEG intends this equity-oriented research agenda to be used by researchers in Southern California and beyond. The report synthesizes answers to the following questions: how is equity defined? What are the biggest equity challenges? What strategies are being used to address equity? What questions would benefit from more research? It concludes with a set of research priorities and questions. 
  • Patricia Burch led a national evaluation of the No Child Left Behind Act’s mandated after school tutoring provision that contributed to multiple large urban districts changing their policies based on compelling evidence about student achievement gains.
  • Julie Marsh has served as a long-term research partner with LAUSD, providing ongoing feedback to district leaders and partners and documenting implementation and outcomes of reforms targeting low-performing schools and teacher and school leader evaluation and practice.
  • Morgan Polikoff successfully pushed for changes to school performance metrics by writing a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education — then posting the letter on his blog to garner more support and media attention — ultimately resulting in the adoption of his recommendation by both federal and state governments.
  • Darline Robles was named to President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. She served on the K12 Education Subcommittee, which focused on recognizing the best teaching practices to improve the academic achievement of English learners, and also hosted the Champions of Change events recognizing outstanding bilingual teachers for demonstrated success improving English learners’ achievement.

 

A list of CEPEG Community policy briefs, reports, blog posts, and journal articles is available below.

Dhaliwal, T. K., Daramola, E. J., Alonso, J. D., & Marsh, J. A. (2021). Educators’ Beliefs and Perceptions of Implementing Restorative Practices. Education and Urban Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245211048439

Daramola, E.J. (2021, October). Centering the family in the family liaison role [Policy report].

Alonso, J. D., Marsh, J. A., & Daramola, E. J. (2021, August). Voter engagement and satisfaction with California’s local school governance: Evidence from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier poll [Policy brief]. https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/voter-engagement-and-satisfaction-californias-local-school-governance

Bridgeforth, J. (2021, October 8). Navigating responses to racism in your school community. ASCD. Retrieved from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/navigating-responses-to-racism-in-your-school-community.

Burch, P., Good, A., Heinrich, C. J., & Wagner, C. (2014). Schools are Racing to Adopt Digital Tools Without Solid Evidence that They Boost Student Achievement. Retrieved from http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/schools-are-racing-adopt-digital-tools-without-solid-evidence-they-boost-student-achievement

Burch, P. & Heinrich, C. (2012). Policy and Program Recommendations for Redesigning Supplemental Educational Services. SESIQ2.  http://sesiq2.wceruw.org/documents/SESIQ2%20recommendations%20brief.pdf

Hough, H., Willis, J., Grunow, A., Krausen, K., Kwon, S., Mulfinger, L.S., & Park, S. (2017). Continuous improvement in practice. Stanford, CA: PACE. http://www.edpolicyinca.org/publications/continuous-improvement-in-practice.

Koppich, J.E., Humphrey, D.C., & Marsh, J.A. (2015). Two years of California’s Local Control Funding Formula: Time to reaffirm the grand vision. Stanford, CA: PACE.

Marsh, J., Bush-Mecenas, S. & Hough, H. (2016). Local control in action: Learning from the CORE districts’ focus on measurement, capacity building, and shared accountability. PACE Policy Brief. Stanford, CA: PACE.

Marsh, J., Bush-Mecenas, S., Strunk, K., Lincove, J.A., & Huguet, A. (2017). How do schools respond to state policies on teacher evaluation? Education Research Alliance Policy Brief. New Orleans, LA: Tulane University. https://educationresearchalliancenola.org/publications/how-do-schools-respond-to-state-policies-on-teacher-evaluation

Marsh, J. A., McKibben, S., Hough, H., Hall, M., Allbright, T. N., Matewos, A. M., Siqueira, C. (2018). Enacting Social-Emotional Learning: Practices and Supports Employed in CORE Districts and Schools. Policy Analysis for California Education

Mulfinger, L.S., Carter, A. & Melnicoe, H. (2017). The Antelope Valley: Over the hill and out of sight. Stanford, CA: PACE. http://www.edpolicyinca.org/publications/antelope-valley-over-hill-and-out-sight.

Strunk, K. O., Marsh, J. A., Bruno, P. (2017). An Effective Teacher for Every Student: Developing a research agenda to further policy change.  PACE Policy Brief. Stanford, CA: PACE.

Huerta, A.H., & Rios-Aguilar, C. (2018). Treat a cop like they are God: Exploring the relevance and utility of funds of gang knowledge among Latino male students. Urban Education, 56(8), 1239–1268. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085918794766

Bertrand, M.* & Marsh, J. (2021). Putting an end to data-driven deficit thinking. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(8), 35-39

Burch, P., Smith, J. & Stewart, M. (2014, June 19). NEPC Review of the report Expanding The Education Universe: A fifty-state strategy for course choice, by the Brookings Institution. Retrieved from http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/review-expanding-the-education-universe

Burch, P., Stewart, M., & Smith, J. (2013, November). NEPC Review of the report School Choice and School Performance in the New York City Public Schools, by the Brookings Institution. Retrieved from http://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/review-school-choice-nyc-brookings

Bush-Mecenas, S. & Marsh, J. (2017, November 29). Getting Teachers On Board with Evaluations [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.future-ed.org/work/getting-teachers-on-board-with-evaluations/

Doorey, N. & Polikoff, M. (2016). Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments. Retrieved from Thomas Fordham Institute website: https://edexcellence.net/publications/evaluating-the-content-and-quality-of-next-generation-assessments.

Good, A., Burch, P., Stewart, M., Acosta, R., and C. Heinrich (2014). Instruction Matters: Lessons from a Mixed Method Evaluation of Out-of-School Time Tutoring Under No Child Left Behind. Teachers College Record, 116(3).

Heinrich, C. J., Burch, P., Good, A., Acosta, R., Cheng, H., Dillender, M., Kirshbaum, C., Nisar, H. and Stewart, M. (2014), Improving the Implementation and Effectiveness of Out-of-School-Time Tutoring. J. Pol. Anal. Manage., 33: 471–494. doi:10.1002/pam.21745. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pam.21745/epdf

Kim, J.S. & Quinn, D.M. (2013, September 17). Effects of Home-based and School-based Summer Literacy Programs [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://edpolicyinca.org/blog/effects-home-based-and-school-based-summer-literacy-programs

Marsh, J. & Kennedy, K. (2020) Possibilities and challenges: Conditions shaping educators’ use of social-emotional learning indicators. Teachers College Record, 122(14), 1-28. https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=23459

Marsh, J. (2011). The debate over teacher merit pay: A Freakonomics quorum. http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/09/20/the-debate-over-teacher-merit-pay-a-freakonomics-quorum/ 

Marsh, J. & McCaffrey, D.F. (2011). Did New York’s Schoolwide Performance Bonus Program have what it takes to improve schools?” Phi Delta Kappan, 93(4), 52-56. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003172171109300413

Odden, A. & Picus, L.O. (2011, September). Improving teaching and learning when budgets are tight. Phi Delta Kappan, 93 (1), 42-48.

Odden, A., Picus, L.O., Archibald, S. and Smith, J. (2009)  Wyoming School Use of Resources 2:  Making More Progress in Identifying How Schools Use Resources in Ways That Boost Student Performance on State Tests.  Prepared for the Wyoming Legislative Service Office.  Available at, http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2008/interim/schoolfinance/Resources.pdf

Odden, A., Picus, L.O., and Price, S. (2014).  Desk Audit of the Arkansas School Funding Matrix and Developing an Understanding of the Potential Costs of Broadband Access for all Schools.  Prepared for the Arkansas House & Senate Committees on Education.  North Hollywood, CA:  Lawrence O. Picus and Associates.  Available at http://picusodden.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/9-5-2014-Picus-Odden-Asso.-AR-Desk-Audit-9-5-14a.pdf

Picus, L.O., Odden, A., Glenn, W., Griffith, M., and Wolkoff, M.  (2012).  An Evaluation of Vermont’s Education Finance System.  Prepared for the Vermont Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committee.

Strunk, K.O., & Marsh, J. (2015, November 20). If Turning Around a School Were Easy [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rick_hess_straight_up/2015/11/if_turning_around_a_school_were_easy.html

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