Read the full interview from Stuart Foundation here.
“Jorge: The way that we fund and govern schools changed 13 years ago with the passage of Local Control Funding Formula, and that set the stage for a set of initiatives to begin to fund and create new models for redesigning high school. Two big ideas have shaped this. First, the emerging science of learning and development has reinforced the idea that the highest purpose—the promise—of education is the full development of human beings, not just the more narrow social goals of college, or career readiness or economic readiness. The other idea is john a. powell’s conception of targeted universalism: can we set social goals and make changes that are designed for everybody, while being especially mindful of those who have been farthest behind in opportunity?
Over the 13 years, we’ve had the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP), the Golden State Pathways Program, the Equity Multiplier Initiative for the most struggling schools, and different efforts to support students’ behavioral health and wellbeing. These investments in local innovation represent funding streams for helping schools make these fundamental redesign changes.
Marisa: LCFF is an important milestone. It marked more than a funding change—it represented a change in how California understood its responsibility to young people. It signaled a significant shift toward equity-driven funding and local decision making, enabling schools and districts to think differently about the purpose of schooling. It also recognized that the people closest to students—their families, educators, and communities—should have a greater voice in shaping educational priorities, even if implementation has been uneven.
The passage of CCSPP in 2022 represents an important evolution of that vision. Community schools recognize that academic outcomes emerge from strong relationships, belonging, health, and opportunity. CCSPP may be one of the first large-scale investments in the state that explicitly supports schools as hubs for integrated student supports, authentic partnerships, and local decision-making. Along with the other investments in school redesign that Jorge mentioned, community schools reflect a broader understanding of what success means and what young people need to learn, belong, and thrive.”