Policymakers, researchers, and philanthropists in California last week announced plans for a $2.6 million research venture to examine the state’s school finance and governance systems and recommend ways leaders can leverage their resources to improve student achievement.
Headed by Susana Loeb, an economist at Stanford University, the project encompasses 23 different studies. It was launched at the request of a group of bipartisan policymakers looking for guidance on solving the state’s educational problems.
“California has the highest educational standards in the nation and no real idea of what it takes to help more students meet them,” Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said in a press release.
The four foundations underwriting the project are the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which is in Menlo Park, Calif.; and the James Irvine Foundation and the Stuart Foundation, both of San Francisco.
