This report examines the early implementation of California's Statewide System of Support, which is designed to empower local educators in determining the best approaches to improvement. While COEs and district officials hold positive views of the system's emphasis on support over compliance, they have concerns about under-resourcing and the effectiveness of the Dashboard measurement tool. The report provides five recommendations to make the System of Support a more comprehensive system aligned with the Local Control Funding Formula.

This case study explores the Garden Grove Unified School District's culture of improvement through four key structures and processes, including consistent goals, data-driven reform, vertical and horizontal structures, and prioritization of people. The district's culture prioritizes student outcomes, commitment, and high-quality teaching. Lessons from GGUSD are broadly applicable to other California districts seeking to foster a culture of improvement.

The CORE-PACE Research Partnership's report on Long Beach Unified School District highlights lessons learned from their continuous improvement approach to improving classroom instruction. This report describes four key practices that have led to improvements in organizational function, including shared clarity of purpose, structures for shared learning, differentiated support for instructional leaders, and deepening understanding of implementation. LBUSD's efforts offer valuable insights for other systems and leaders seeking to support continuous improvement.

A case study of Ayer Elementary School in Fresno, California, reveals leadership practices that foster continuous improvement in education. The report identifies three lessons for supporting improvement in other schools: access to district resources, a culture of continuous improvement, and teacher agency. The study highlights the importance of leadership skills in promoting a culture of risk-taking, teacher agency, and collective efficacy to improve student outcomes in California schools.

Effective data use is crucial for continuous improvement, but there is confusion about how it differs from data use for other purposes. This report explains what data are most useful for continuous improvement and presents a case study of how the CORE data collaborative uses a multiple-measures approach to support decision-making.

California and the US are undergoing a cultural shift in school accountability policies towards locally-determined measures of school performance. Lessons can be learned from the CORE districts, which developed an innovative accountability system, emphasizing support over sanctions, and utilizing multiple measures of school quality. The CORE districts' measurement system and collaboration hold promise for improving local systems, but efforts to build capacity remain a work in progress.