UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools

This research brief examines how Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) leveraged California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to redesign teacher professional learning and expand teacher leadership as a strategy for improving equitable academic and social-emotional outcomes for historically underserved students. Using a qualitative case study design, the researchers analyzed district documents, student outcome data, and strategic plans; conducted school site observations; and interviewed 53 stakeholders—including teachers, administrators, students, parents, union representatives, and district leaders—over a 19-month period. Findings indicate that LCFF enabled PUSD to increase teacher voice and choice in professional learning, establish teacher leadership roles, expand Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) coaching, and pilot co-teaching models that strengthened collaboration and instructional practice. Although the study does not establish causal relationships, multiple sources of evidence suggest improvements in teacher efficacy, school climate, and promising gains in student achievement, particularly in co-teaching classrooms and PBIS schools. The report concludes that teacher-led professional learning represents a promising strategy for advancing equitable outcomes and recommends that districts strengthen school readiness for teacher leadership, systematically spread teaching expertise, and build central office capacity to sustain teacher-led learning and leadership at scale.