Assisting our Schools of Greatest Need
Secretary of Education impressed with San Francisco QEIA site
CTA’s Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA), passed into law in 2006, will help schools that are serving a higher percentage of low income, minority and English learners to close the achievement gap. Nearly $3 billion will go to K-12 schools with Academic Performance Index (API) scores in the bottom two deciles over the next seven years to reduce class sizes, improve teacher and principal training, hire more school counselors, and give local school districts the flexibility to support programs that best fit the needs of their students. Community colleges will also receive a portion of the funding to expand career and vocational education. This legislation settles the lawsuit that CTA won against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after he refused to repay the billions he borrowed from schools in 2004-05 and repays public schools all the money owed under Proposition 98.
The California Department of Education announced the 488 schools that were approved for funding by unanimous vote of the State Board of Education in May.
Some of the goals of the program include:
- Reducing K-12 class sizes
- Having qualified teachers in all core subjects
- Increasing the number of credentialed counselors in high schools
- Establishing district-wide teacher quality index to ensure equitable distribution of teacher experience
- Quality training programs and time for collaboration
QEIA Site Contact Support
Get the latest announcements, access to resources, join a discussion forum and listen to podcasts.
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QEIA materials
-- Listen to Podcasts on QEIA Briefings
-- Fact Sheet
-- Deciles 1 and 2 Charts
-- Q&A
-- Radio ads in English & Spanish ("Achievement")
-- Members: Where we stand
-- Read the text of SB 1133
-- Accountability requirements under SB 1133
-- Professional development requirements under SB 1133
-- Characteristics of successful schools: what the research indicates
-- QEIA SSC planning tips
-- Caveat emptor: tips for hiring external providers
-- 2007 QEIA funding totals by district
-- School Plan Budget Analysis - allocation of current resources (LACOE)
-- SPSA sample annual evaluation (LACOE)
-- Tools for effective meetings
News Releases
-- State OKs List of 488 Neediest California Public Schools That Will Share $2.9 Billion From CTA-Backed Law
-- Radio Advertising Campaign Draws Attention to CTA's Quality Education Investment Act and the Need to Help California's Schools of Greatest Need
-- Critical CTA Legislation Invests $3 Billion in California's Schools of Greatest Need to Help Close the Achievement Gap
-- Statement from (former) CTA President Barbara E. Kerr on Legislature's Passage of Quality Education Investment Act
California Educator Articles
-- QEIA training a big hit at Summer Institute; keynote speakers Kimberly Thomas Rapp, Robert "Bob" Marzano and Andy Hargreaves
-- Schools begin to benefit from QEIA funds
-- CTA Takes the Lead in Closing the Gap
-- QEIA Gives Schools Enough Money to Prove That Teachers' Ideas Can Work
California Department of Education
-- State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces List of Schools Selected to Receive Nearly $3 Billion Investment to Accelerate Student Achievement