Former California Governor Jerry Brown is urging state education leaders to overturn the proposed closure of Aspire Golden State Preparatory Academy in Oakland, arguing that the decision reflects a misuse of California’s school accountability system rather than a fair assessment of student success. In a recent CalMatters commentary, Brown contends that accountability should rely on multiple measures of student achievement—not a single standardized test score.
Brown, who championed California’s Local Control Funding Formula and the California School Dashboard during his second administration, notes that these reforms were intentionally designed to move beyond simplistic test-score rankings by evaluating schools through a broader set of academic and student success indicators. He argues that local officials ignored this framework by relying heavily on one annual math assessment to justify closing the charter school.
According to Brown, Aspire Golden State Prep serves predominantly low-income students in East Oakland who often enter the school performing well below grade level but graduate with strong academic outcomes and one of the city’s highest graduation rates. He maintains that closing the school without fully considering its overall performance—or the quality of alternative educational options available to students—would undermine the very purpose of California’s accountability system.
Brown concludes that the State Board of Education should reaffirm that accountability decisions must be grounded in evidence, context, and the best interests of students. He warns that allowing a single data point to determine a school’s fate could set a troubling precedent for public education throughout California.
Read the full article here: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/07/oakland-charter-school-closure-accountability/
