Arun Ramanathan
In a commentary piece for EdSource Arun Ramanathan, CEO of Pivot Learning Partners, argues that the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the Common Core State Standards offer an opportunity to press restart on our education system by refocusing investments to support instruction, especially in service of high-needs students. An examination of the first round of district LCAPs by Pivot Learning Partners finds that district plans exhibit an incoherent, “shotgun style” approach to meet all state priority areas listed in the LCAP. Ramanathan contends that districts will be more effective if leaders work with their communities and advocacy groups to prioritize investments provided by the Local Control Funding Formula. He adds that state and county leaders can advance this work by viewing the accountability plans as strategic education plans as opposed to compliance checklists or platforms to funnel investments to narrowly-focused programs. Furthermore, once teachers build the capacity to teach the new standards, district leaders can design interventions to fit in a tiered system of academic and socio-emotional interventions to help all high-needs students achieve academic success.