IMPLICATIONS FOR EQUITY, PRACTICE & IMPLEMENTATION
  The primary purpose of this study was to inform a more comprehensive, long-term evaluation of CSR. In doing so, we have highlighted key issues for future researchers and policy makers. By focusing on perceptions of school-level educators, we provide evidence of how CSR unfolded in particular schools across California in its first year of implementation. Still, the limitations of self-reported data preclude us from offering definitive conclusions. We have delineated specific areas that warrant more careful evaluation. These include: (1) how CSR and district transfer policies are altering the distribution of teachers with credentials; (2) how LEP and special education student populations are being affected; (3) how students are grouped and instruction organized; (4) how staff development can be targeted for smaller classes; and (5) how parental involvement may be improved. Many difficulties described in this report stem from the inadequate time that districts and schools had to prepare for CSR. In future studies, researchers must distinguish between potential long-term difficulties with CSR and those associated with its hasty implementation. Problems regarding teacher qualifications and facilities, for example, are unlikely to go away. District officials, teachers, principals, and coordinators alike generally believe CSR will lead to higher student achievement, and most seem to view the initiative as positive for public education. Whether CSR proves to be the crucial lever for improving California’s schools is clearly a question for which there will be no simple answers. |