Policy Center Assisting policymakers in education reform. The Policy Center brings clarity to complex issues by examining all sides and presenting objective, research-based views. Staff respond to requests from Congress and federal agencies, and state and local agencies, addressing inquiries from legislators, boards of education, and other policy leaders. One of the Center's primary initiatives is the California Mayors Education Roundtable, which brings together mayors of California's larger cities, district superintendents, and their key staff to share data, evidence-based and promising practices, and programmatic strategies to address local challenges affecting students' educational and career success. The Policy Center recently provided significant technical assistance to the Arizona Governor's Office of Education Innovation on two of its key projects: the Arizona State Education Reform Plan and the statewide Regional Support Centers. 2011 Year in Review This two-page 2011 program overview (PDF) contains key services, projects, and resources; highlights; and the proportion of program work by function and by funding source. Director: Paul Koehler Projects associated with this program: Decision Support Platform California Mayors Education Roundtable Policy Briefs Policymaker and Stakeholder Convenings State and Regional Analyses Southwest Comprehensive Center WestEd staff involved with this program: Sheila Arredondo, Program Associate Tony Fong, Senior Policy Associate John Hicinbotham, Program Associate Joyce Kaser, Senior Associate Paul Koehler, Director, Policy Center Cheryl Lebo, Program Associate Reino Makkonen, Senior Policy Associate Marie Mancuso, Associate Director, Southwest Comprehensive Center Max McConkey, Chief Policy and Communications Officer Mary Peterson, Senior Program Associate Pamela Shand, Program Assistant Resources related to this program: Education Research: Past, Present, and Future The Latino Education Crisis Building a Research Agenda to Improve Education Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster Care Narrowing the Achievement Gap Analysis and Implications of Proposition 38: Will Vouchers Improve Student Access to Private Schools? Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning Building a Workable Accountability System: Policy Brief California's Class Size Reduction: Implications for Equity, Practice, and Implementation California's Graduation Rate: The Hidden Crisis Can State Intervention Spur Academic Turnaround? Censorship From the Right...Censorship From the Left Class Size Reduction: Great Hopes, Great Challenges Class Size Reduction: Lessons Learned from Experience Creating Working Relationships: How Can School Districts and Charter Schools Work Together Effectively? District Implementation of No Child Left Behind Education That Works: Ideas for Sacramento Ensuring Teacher Quality: A Continuum of Teacher Preparation and Development Focus on Class Size Reduction: Smaller Classes Aim to Launch Early Literacy Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities The Future Federal Role: Observations and Ideas High School Course-Taking Patterns for English Language Learners The High Stakes of High-Stakes Testing How Best to Achieve School Success Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time? Improving Student Achievement in Arizona: A Call to Action Investing in Technology: The Learning Return La Frontera: Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Education Along the U.S.-Mexico Border Leading in Difficult Times: Are Urban School Boards Up to the Task? Making Sure Exit Exams Get a Passing Grade Making Time Count Minding the Gap: Why Integrating High School with College Makes Sense and How to Do It More on Charter Schools: Issues at a Glance Private School Vouchers: Issues at a Glance R&D Alert® Fall 2000 R&D Alert® Winter 2001 The Redesignation Dilemma: Challenges and Choices in Fostering Meaningful Accountability for English Learners Reforming Teacher Pay: The Search for a Workable Goal-Driven Compensation System School & College Partnerships: The Missing Link School Funding: From Equity to Adequacy Scientific Research and Evidence-Based Practice Seamless Schooling Skills for Tomorrow's Workforce Stop the Clock: Ending the Tyranny of Time in Education Student Achievement and Graduation Rates in Nevada: Urgent Need for Faster Reform Student Achievement in California: Steady Progress Made, Faster Improvement Needed A Synthesis of Recent California Education Reform Recommendations Teacher Supply & Quality: The Changing Role of Community Colleges Tough Love for School Reform Trends & Best Practices for Education Management Organizations Urgency Rises for Quality Child Care Using School-Community Partnerships to Bolster Student Learning Voices from La Frontera: Study of School Districts Along the United States/Mexico Border What Research Says about Small Classes and Their Effects What Research Says About Unequal Funding for Schools in America What We Know about Vouchers: The Facts behind the Rhetoric What You Can Do to Improve Your School