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LOS ANGELES — The deep budget cuts that many California school districts have had to make this year have highlighted the critical importance of programs like the UCLA School Management Program (SMP), which has been working for 12 years to teach K-12 teachers how to improve the quality of education without spending more money on additional staff, materials, or new buildings.

Since 1992, SMP has quietly gone about improving education by placing an emphasis on motivating, educating and enabling teachers and administrators who often volunteer time throughout the school year and during the summer to participate. Many even go on to recruit other educators to join in.

Among the many programs offered by the SMP is the “Critical Friends Groups New Coaches Institutes.” It involves the formation of teams of educators who voluntarily commit to work together on a long-term basis to improve the performance of their students, their schools, and themselves. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, each group identifies challenges faced by their site, and then develops and implements plans to improve student performance. The teams then meet regularly to track the results of their efforts by reviewing student work. The camaraderie and support that grow out of these groups are also a critical component of improving teacher morale.