Schools
State Superintendent Of Public Instruction Candidates Differ On How California Should Solve Its Early Literacy Crisis
Research shows that students who aren't reading at grade level by third grade will struggle to catch up through their educational careers.
June 3, 2022
California voters on June 7 will select who will lead the state’s Department of Education as the superintendent of public instruction. Incumbent Tony Thurmond, who is seeking re-election to a four-year term, has six opponents. To inform voters, EdSource is focusing this pre-election piece on the issue of early literacy and how California should tackle what experts have described as a literacy crisis.
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The stakes are high: research shows that students who aren’t reading at grade level by the third grade will struggle to catch up throughout their educational career. Only 48.5% of third graders tested at grade level or above in English language arts during the 2018-19 school year, before the pandemic stalled all learning.
See below for the candidates’ answers to questions posed by EdSource reporters.
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Seven candidates are running. Joining incumbent Tony Thurmond are Marco Amaral, a special education teacher and South Bay Union School District trustee; Joseph Guy Campbell, who publishes books about Montessori schools and special education; Lance Christensen, vice president of education policy, California Policy Center; Jim Gibson, founder of a technology company and former Vista Unified trustee; Ainye E. Long, a math teacher and department chair in San Francisco Unified; and George Yang, a software architect. Gibson and Yang did not respond to EdSource’s questionnaire.
They are vying to head up the state’s public education system, the California Department of Education, which serves more than 6 million K-12 students and employs about 2,700. As the top manager, the superintendent can use the bully pulpit of the office to advocate educational priorities. The post does not include control over the department’s budget, which must be approved by the Legislature and the governor.
The job pays $189,841 a year.
The primary winner must get at least 50% of the vote. If no one does, the two candidates with the most votes will face a runoff in November.
The office is nonpartisan and candidates cannot list their party affiliations on the ballot.
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EdSource works to engage Californians on key education challenges with the goal of enhancing learning success. It does so by providing timely, useful and accurate information to key education stakeholders and the larger public; advancing awareness of major education initiatives being implemented in California and nationally; and highlighting effective models and strategies intended to improve student outcomes, as well as identifying areas that are in need of repair or reform
