California Institute for School Improvement (CISI)
About CISI
The California Institute for School Improvement (CISI) is a membership organization created to support district and county instructional leaders. Over 140 school districts and county offices of education are currently CISI members.
Membership Information
Benefits of CISI Membership
- Regular updates through the CISI E-Bulletins apprising members of ongoing policy developments, compiling education resources, and synthesizing relevant research.
- Free admission for three individuals to the CISI Workshops, which provide an overview of important policy changes. Plus, discounted rates for individuals beyond the first three attendees.
- Annual resource guide containing an overview of policy development and research in education in California.
- Discounted workshops in the spring that address the new budget, latest legislation, and previews of what is most important for the coming year.
Resources & E-Bulletins
CISI provides E-Bulletins as a service to members by email. Here you find archived E-Bulletins in addition to topically searchable resources on the following topics:
District Leadership: LCFF, LCAP, Budget, & API
Curriculum & Instruction: Common Core, Teaching, School Climate
Assessment: Smarter Balanced Assessment & Other Testing
Legislation & Policy: Politics, SBE, Legislation Analysis
Research in Brief: Curated research briefs and summaries
Study: Too Many Structured Activities May Hinder Children’s Executive Functioning
Research in Brief
(Education Week)
A recent report in the journal Frontiers in Psychology
found “that the kids who spent more time in less-structured
activities had more highly-developed self-directed executive
function.” However, the children who spent more time in
structured activity showed a decrease in ability to set goals,
make decisions and self-regulation.
Cops and No Counselors
Research in Brief
According to a new nationwide report by the ACLU on the
presence of police and mental health services in schools,
“400,000 K-12 students in California attend a school that has a
police officer but not a counselor.”
Book Resources
Research in Brief
Bryk, Anthony S. Organizing Schools for Improvement : Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2010. Print.
Campbell, Davis W., and Michael Fullan. The Governance Core : School Boards, Superintendents, and Schools Working Together. Corwin Press. 2019.
