Every California Child Deserves a Great Education.

You can be part of the solution.

California's education system is big and complex. Ed100 explains how it works so you can make a difference. This course consists of lessons organized into ten chapters. Each short lesson takes about five minutes to read. Start at the beginning to read it like a book or jump to topics that particularly interest you.

Chapter 1
Education Is...

Chapter 2
... Students

Chapter 3
... and Teachers

Chapter 4
... spending Time

Chapter 5
... in Places for learning

Chapter 6
... with the Right Stuff

Chapter 7
... in a System

Chapter 8
... with Resources

Chapter 9
... for Success.

Chapter 10
So now what?

Signing In

You can read Ed100 without signing up. But signing up is free -- and when you sign in, a few great things happen:

• Ed100 connects you with others. The discussion section at the bottom of each lesson lets you share resources and points of view. If you have a question, this is the place to post it (and answer a question from another reader.)
• Ed100 helps create education leaders at your school. Using the leaderboard, you can find Ed100 participants at your own school. Then you can share ideas on what lessons are important to your parents and your school community.
• Ed100 provides evidence of meaningful parent engagement at your school. This can be used directly in your district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
• Ed100 helps you stay with it. Using the Leaderboard, you can see the progress you are making toward your Ed100 graduate certificate. You can view the progress that others from your school are making, too.
• Ed100 helps you create urgency. Periodically, thanks to support from contributors like the California State PTA, Ed100 holds drawings to help keep the heat on and make it fun. You earn tickets in the drawing by completing lessons. You could win up to $1,000 for the benefit of your school’s PTA

This one-minute video summarizes how it works.

Additional Uses for Ed100

• Talk about it. The impact of Ed100 is greatest when used as a kind of "book club." You can add to the Ed100 community by using the comment features to bring your discussion online.
• Use the LCAP Parent Checklist template. This template will help you determine “next steps” to make your schools better. Your PTA and school community can work on it together to provide input on your Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The template includes handy links to Ed100 lessons and other resources.
• Get regular updates. We are constantly making changes to keep Ed100 up to date. Sign up for the Ed100 newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be in the know.

What's in this Chapter?

We convinced Jeff to narrate a short video preview of each lesson. We hope you get a kick out of the awkward expressions we captured him in...

1.1 California Context: Are California’s Schools Really Behind?

The Ed100 course begins with some California context. Are California's schools really behind?

1.2 International Context: Are U.S. Schools Behind the World?

How do America's schools compare with schools in the rest of the world? And how do we know, anyway?

1.3 Economic Context: Schools for Knowledge Work

What's the most valuable resource in the American economy? The answer surprises a lot of people.

1.4 Bad Apples: The High Social Costs of Educational Failure

Educational failure costs everyone. Preventing failure can be a great investment. Students that “drop out” are not random.

1.5 Wishful thinking: Grade inflation and cognitive biases

Public confidence in schools has never been lower. But in surveys most people give their own schools a passing grade. What's going on? | Facts are cold / and stink and rot / so we find warmth / in wishful thought

1.6 Progress: Are Schools Improving?

Are schools getting better? The answer may surprise you. | Golden state scores / behind the best / but climbing upward / nonetheless

1.7 History of Education: How have Schools Changed Over Time?

Change in schools seems slow, until you look at a little history. Over time, public education has become much closer to universal. There's still quite a way to go. Do you know the major milestones?

1.8 Purpose: What is Education For, Really?

“What is school / really for / and should it really / be for more?” | Kids go to school. It's what they do, right? But what's the deeper purpose?