Giving Compass' Take:

· Jonathan Klein discusses the struggles of students in California's public schooling system and urges readers to pay close attention to what reform is really needed and what many candidates are actually promising. 

· How can California increase the number of students reaching grade-level requirements? Why are some many students struggling?

· Read more about California's struggling public schools. 

Pretty much every candidate who talks about education at all this year will promise change. It’s up to us as voters to figure out whether they mean it.

The stakes are enormous. This month, Californians have started voting on hundreds of school board races and for a new state superintendent of public instruction. Collectively, these leaders oversee budgets totaling more than $76.6 billion and — more importantly — shape the opportunities for 6.3 million students.

What many candidates are actually promising — when you listen carefully — is cautious, incremental adjustment, coloring within the lines of the system as we know it. The reality for California children demands something very different: only half our students meet grade-level English standards and only 4 of 10 meet standards in math, and most lack the basic coursework even to be considered for admission to the state university systems.

Read the full article about public education by Jonathan Klein at EdSource.