How-To & FAQ
What can I do with the District Readiness Index (DRI)?
- See at a glance how districts perform by exploring the statewide map.
- Find a specific district by using the search tool.
- Identify district strengths as well as areas for improvement by reading your district’s page.
- Compare districts using the comparison tool.
- Take action by reaching out to the technical assistance providers on our resources page.
- Share domain-specific resources with your colleagues and community.
- Conduct an advanced search using data filters.
- Download the complete dataset for further research and analysis.
How do I use the DRI?
Read our step-by-step guide or watch our how-to video and learn how to use the tool.
What does the DRI have to say about California school districts overall?
Our evidence illustrates that a broad range of districts across California have the organizational foundations to initiate and sustain innovative efforts to improve student outcomes.
- Most California districts exhibit at least some, if not many, organizational conditions critical to implement and sustain educational improvement and innovations. In fact, over 70 school districts exemplify district readiness across all organizational conditions.
- Across California, school districts with lower levels of organizational readiness 1) are more likely to be located in urban areas, 2) enroll more students, and 3) serve greater shares of historically marginalized students.
- Greater levels of district readiness are generally associated with higher English language arts and math standardized assessment performance. Even when holding important district demographic and structural features constant, conditions related to district readiness are associated with greater ELA and math outcomes.
Learn more about our findings here.
How did you calculate these ratings?
Learn all about our data collection and scoring procedures here on our methodology page.
Why isn’t my district included in the DRI?
For the DRI’s initial iteration, the database only includes traditional Elementary, Unified, and High School Districts. The DRI does not include:
- Districts with student enrollment under 2,500
- Charter schools
- County Offices of Education
- Private schools
- Unique Local Educational Agencies (e.g., State Special Schools; Regional Occupation Center)
The 2,500 enrollment threshold was used to focus on a manageable data collection scope, and because school districts with enrollments below this threshold yielded enough one-school districts to distort indicator collection procedures. Learn more about the data collection and scoring procedures by reading our methodology page.
I have a question that isn’t addressed here.
Do you have questions about the DRI, ideas for its improvement, or suggestions about the data? We’d love to hear from you. Please fill out our contact form here.
