BILL ANALYSIS
AB 148
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 148 (Coto)
As Amended March 10, 2009
Majority vote
EDUCATION 10-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-4
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Ammiano, Arambula, | |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes, |
| |Buchanan, Carter, Eng, | |Hall, John A. Perez, |
| |Garrick, Miller, | |Price, Skinner, Solorio, |
| |Torlakson | |Torlakson, Krekorian |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+---------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Nielsen, Duvall, Harkey, |
| | | |Audra Strickland |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
to conduct a study to recommend more effective paths to
transformational leadership through the administrative services
credential (ASC) process for school principals and leaders.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Defines "transformational leadership" as the body of knowledge
and set of skills needed to transform an organization.
2)Requires the study to do all of the following:
a) Define how the transformational leadership philosophies
can be added to the ASC process and as an authorization
added to an ASC for those already credentialed;
b) Determine whether the CTC should recommend credentialing
programs add an authorization in transformational
leadership to ASCs;
c) Determine how to amend the existing ASC requirements to
include demonstration that the standards for
transformational leadership have been met;
d) Examine the standards for school leadership to determine
whether they include the requisite standards for
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transformational leadership or should be revised to add
standards or delete less critical standards; and,
e) Recommend the means by which a person seeking to obtain
an ASC transformational leadership authorization can
demonstrate mastery of the standards necessary to serve as
transformational leaders in schools.
3)Requires the study to be conducted between July 1, 2010 and
June 30, 2011; requires the CTC to report its findings to the
Legislature by no later than December 31, 2011; and, repeals
this code section on January 1, 2012.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor absorbable General Fund costs to the CTC to
complete the study.
COMMENTS : In recent years the education community in California
has discussed the importance reforming California's schools and
often the center of that discussion revolves around the notion
that school reform is clearly a result of strong leadership from
principals and administrators. Some of California's most
improved schools have been a direct result of transformational
change inspired by the school's principal. Results from these
traditionally low achieving schools, suddenly making large gains
in student achievement, are often directly correlated with
strong leadership from principals who are able to make
transformational changes in the school's culture. Some question
whether principals with these unique leadership qualities can be
taught these skills or whether these skills are inherent to the
individual person. The study proposed by AB 148 could
potentially help answer that question by outlining the possible
ways that ASC candidates can demonstrate these skills prior to
obtaining their credential.
According to the author, the purpose of AB 148 is to ensure that
school principals and other school leaders possess the
knowledge, skills and values to facilitate the fundamental
change called for in California's public schools. California
and the world have ample evidence of the difficulty in bringing
about long term, sustained, systemic change and improvement to
California's schools. This difficulty is especially true at the
middle and high school levels. Part of the difficulty in
bringing about change is that school leaders very often do not
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possess the knowledge, values or skills required to bring about
change. Principals and school leaders wind up in the unenviable
position of being asked to move bureaucracies which are
incredibly difficult to change without knowledge and skills in
organizational change. One could make a case that it is a 'set
up' - asking a leader to do something he/she is totally
unprepared to do. Not surprisingly, few schools, especially few
middle and high schools, have brought about sustained change and
improvement.
Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0001127