blog post Video: A Conversation with California’s Public Higher Education Leaders By Vicki Hsieh Dec 8, 2023 PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye talks with leaders from across the state's higher education systems—UC president Michael V. Drake, CSU chancellor Mildred García, and California Community Colleges executive vice chancellor Aisha Lowe—about their priorities for expanding educational opportunity.
blog post How Have California School Districts Used the Emergency Connectivity Fund? By Joseph Hayes, Niu Gao Dec 4, 2023 The state's school districts have received about $859 million from the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which supports access to internet connectivity and digital devices. Most of these funds have gone to districts with large proportions of Black, Latino, or low-income students, and the ECF dollars have been used more for connectivity than for devices.
blog post Video: Health Conditions and Health Care among California’s Undocumented Immigrants By Stephanie Barton Nov 10, 2023 As the state prepares to expand Medi-Cal to all low-income Californians regardless of immigration status, a new PPIC report looks at how undocumented patients use community clinic services. Researcher Shalini Mustala discusses this report’s key findings, and researcher Paulette Cha moderates a panel discussion on lessons learned from recent Medi-Cal expansions.
blog post Video: Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Vicki Hsieh Nov 8, 2023 Four years ago, state lawmakers dramatically broadened access to key transfer-level courses at California’s community colleges. PPIC researcher Cesar Alesi Perez presents findings from a new report on what these reforms have meant for improving student outcomes.
blog post Testimony: Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment By Olga Rodriguez Nov 6, 2023 At a hearing of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, PPIC Higher Education Center director and senior fellow Olga Rodriguez discusses the state landscape for dual enrollment—by which high school students take college courses and earn college credit—and how this approach can help improve student outcomes.
blog post Video: A Conversation with Chief Justice of California Patricia Guerrero By Mary Severance Nov 3, 2023 Patricia Guerrero became California's 29th Chief Justice in January 2023, succeeding current PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye as head of the state's judiciary. At an event in Sacramento, they discussed Chief Justice Guerrero's priorities and goals for the state's judicial branch.
blog post County Jails House Fewer Inmates, but Over Half Face Mental Health Issues By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Oct 25, 2023 While the number of people in California's county jails has declined markedly over the last decade, the share of inmates with mental health needs has grown to more than half of the total jail population.
blog post Making the Most of State Investments in Dual Enrollment By Daniel Payares-Montoya, Mary Severance Oct 18, 2023 California is taking various steps to expand the reach of dual enrollment, which allows high school students to take college courses. We talked with Dr. Sandra Fuentes, Interim Dean of Early College at Reedley College in the Central Valley, about how dual enrollment can help historically underserved students succeed in postsecondary education.
blog post Telehealth Usage among Low-income and Undocumented Californians By Shalini Mustala, Paulette Cha, Patricia Malagon Oct 17, 2023 A variety of changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have expanded telehealth use among low-income and undocumented Californians. The experience of patients in Los Angeles County—home to the state's largest immigrant population and a significant share of its undocumented residents—sheds light on the prospects for telehealth to improve health care access for undocumented immigrants in our state.
blog post Low-income and Undocumented Californians Struggle with Mental Health By Patricia Malagon, Paulette Cha, Shalini Mustala Oct 2, 2023 Nearly one in five low-income adults in California report having serious psychological distress, and those who are undocumented can face barriers to care. California has taken steps to improve access to mental health care, such as expanding Medi-Cal to all low-income residents regardless of age or immigration status, effective January 2024.
