1 A Well-Rounded Education

2 Class Size Matters

3 Access to Preschool

4 Safe Learning and Teaching Environments

5 Teaching All Students

6 Leading the Profession

7 Family and Community Engagement

8 Health and Support Services

9 Fully Funded Education

10 A Well-Rounded Education

9 million students in California

9 million reasons to support learning and growth.

These ten initiatives outline the California Teachers Association’s expectations for a quality public education based on student-centered proven strategies from preschool through higher education.

Our Ten Measures Are...

Access to a varied curriculum:

Art
Music
Dance
Theater
History
Physical education
World languages
Career-technical education

Learning over testing.

A focus on standardized testing has narrowed expectations and learning.

A fully-staffed library in every school.

Freedom for teachers to reach their culturally diverse students through a variety of teaching methods.

California has some of the largest class sizes in the country, which greatly inhibits our students’ ability to thrive.

Smaller class sizes enable growth in students.

More time for one-on-one instruction
More opportunity for communication between teachers and families
These benefits are particularly important for students who are ethnic minorities or English-language learners

Lifetime learning should start early, during critical development years.

All California kids deserve access to high-quality early childhood education.

Students and staff deserve safe, well-maintained buildings that show respect for those who learn and work there.

The chances of a child’s success should not depend on that child’s zip code.

Principles shaping public education in California:

Social justice

Equity

Diversity

Education professionals:

Commit to the success of every student
Should be recognized as the experts they are
Establish high standards of quality for the teaching profession

They deserve:

Teacher-directed professional development
Time to plan lessons and collaborate with their colleagues
Shared decision-making to determine the most effective teaching methods, curriculum, assessment and evaluation systems

In order to attract and retain quality educators, schools must be able to offer salaries and benefits comparable to others with the same education and experience.

Parents and family members are an integral part of a child's education.

Educators should have time to communicate with parents regularly to develop a shared vision for student learning.

Public schools should serve as centers of community and adult learning.

California has the country’s lowest rank in the ratio of counselors, nurses and social workers per student. Adequate support professionals are critical to student success.

Kids cannot come to school ready to learn without sufficient health care, including eye and dental care.

Some students also require free and reduced meal programs and free transportation.

All students deserve access to:

Career and technical training
Education opportunities to prepare them for the workforce
Affordable college

California has the eighth-largest economy in the world, but continues to run well below the national average in per-student funding.

Public education:

The great equalizer

The cornerstone of our democracy

An opportunity to invest in our future