Purpose

During the 2009-10 school year, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Pivot Learning Partners (PLP) formed a partnership with two large California school districts-Los Angeles, and Twin Rivers Unified School Districts-to begin a project to implement and evaluate the impact of a comprehensive approach to local school finance, governance, and human resource management.

With the ultimate goal of improving the level and distribution of both teacher effectiveness and student learning opportunities, the Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR) project was designed to:

(a) develop and implement more equitable and transparent strategies for allocating resources within each district;

(b) link those strategies to policies and processes designed to encourage innovation, efficiency, and teacher effectiveness; and

(c) strengthen accountability for improving student outcomes.  

For more information and reports on the project across all three districts see the project website at http://www.schoolfundingforresults.org

Foundation

The theory of action underlying the project encompasses the following three elements: a culture of innovation and efficiency, increased transparency, and resource equity.

A culture of innovation and efficiency can be achieved by:

• increasing school autonomy linked with accountability for results;
• creating appropriate incentives for improving the performance of principals, teachers, and other school faculty;
• ensuring access to a wide range of educational choices by families and children; and
• providing school leaders with the opportunity to select and purchase various support services from the central office.
  

Increased transparency can be achieved by:

• simplifying and clarifying the processes by which resources are allocated to schools; and
• increasing the participation of a wide range of stakeholders in the design of these processes.

Equity can be improved by allocating dollars to schools based on student needs.

The results of this evaluation will provide information to help federal, state, and local policymakers in their consideration of policies that will improve learning opportunities for all children.

Implementation

2010-2011
8 schools in training phase

2011-2012
10 schools in training phase
8 schools in implementation phase
 
2012-2013
Remaining school in training phase
18 schools in implementation phase
 
2013-2014
District-wide implementation

Cohort I Sites:

• FC Joyce
• Madison
• Noralto
• Regency Park
• Norwood
• Rio Tierra
• Grant Union High
• Rio Linda High

Cohort II Sites:

• Dry Creek
• Harmon Johnson
• Highlands High
• Hillsdale (K-6)
• Northwood
• Oakdale
• Orchard
• Pioneer
• Ridgepoint
• Westside (K-6)
• Woodridge