Features

SACRAMENTO — A statewide blueprint for education — which calls for changes in college admissions policies and the state governance structure — is nearly finished, state officials say. 

A draft of the master plan for education, which will serve as a road map for California students as they make their way from preschool through college, was released Tuesday. It includes recommendations that state lawmakers will be asked to implement in coming years. 

Those recommendations range from minor adjustments of school policies to major changes such as making the Department of Education part of the governor’s Cabinet. 

Stephen Blake, chief consultant for the two-house committee that is creating the plan, said his team sifted through the comments of thousands of parents, educators and students before putting out the draft. 

During a lengthy public comment phase, Sen. Dede Alpert, D-San Diego, said the committee “listened and we made significant changes.” 

“I have never seen such an overwhelming interest in shaping public policy,” said Alpert, the committee’s chairwoman. 

Lawmakers hope the plan, which will try to connect the various segments of public education, will be as successful as the state’s long-term higher education plan. 

The ambitious project started in 1999 when the Legislature created the Joint Committee for Master Planning, which includes nine senators and nine members of the Assembly. The final plan is expected in August. 

The draft recommends dozens of changes to the educational system, including requiring full-day kindergarten, creating a standard high school curriculum that matches requirements to get into college, and creating schools to help train counselors.