Report Career Technical Education in Health: An Overview of Student Success at California’s Community Colleges By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Landon Gibson Dec 1, 2016 Health programs at California’s community colleges attract a large and diverse set of students and are linked to growing job opportunities in a generally well-paying industry for Californians with less than a bachelor’s degree. Many community college students who have earned career tech credentials in health care over the past decade have seen sizeable wage gains. Efforts to increase completion rates and close achievement gaps can expand access to health careers while helping the state meet its workforce needs. This research was supported with funding from the Sutton Family Fund.
Report Successful Online Courses in California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Kevin Cook Jun 9, 2015 California's community colleges have taken the lead in online learning in the state. But students are less successful in online courses than they are in traditional ones. Taking a more data-driven, integrated, and systematic approach can improve course quality and student outcomes—but it’s not likely to lower costs. This research was supported with funding from the Donald Bren Foundation.
Report Student Debt and the Value of a College Degree By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, David Ezekiel, Betsey Zeiger Jun 3, 2013 Student debt in California has increased dramatically in recent years, but college is still a good investment. Californians with college degrees are more likely to be employed than those with high school diplomas, and they earn higher wages. Policymakers can do a lot to help make higher education more affordable—for example, by developing tuition savings programs and improving pathways from community colleges to four-year schools. Providing additional funding is essential, but finding ways keep costs down should also be pursued. This research was supported with funding from the Donald Bren Foundation.
Report Preparing Students for Success in California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez Nov 9, 2016 Community colleges identify 80 percent of incoming students as underprepared for college-level work. Fewer than half of these students advance to and succeed in a college course (44% in English and 27% in math). Concerns about poor outcomes have led to institutional reforms. This research was supported with funding from The Sutton Family Fund.
Report Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao Sep 6, 2023 Under California’s ten-year-old funding formula, districts with higher shares of high-need students receive additional dollars on top of base funding. Districts have flexibility around spending these funds, but when money is not fully directed to the intended students and schools, the impact on achievement gaps is diluted.
California Counts, Report At Home and in School: Racial and Ethnic Gaps in Educational Preparedness By Jennifer Y. Cheng Nov 1, 2001 Looks at conditions from early childhood through high school that contribute to or indicate educational achievement, focusing in particular on differences across racial/ethnic groups. Finds that by almost every indicator, Hispanic and black children are at a disadvantage when compared to white and Asian children.
Report Reforming Math Pathways at California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Olga Rodriguez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Bonnie Brooks Oct 23, 2017 The goal of developmental education (also known as remedial or basic skills education) is to help students acquire the skills they need to be successful in college courses, but its track record is poor. In fact, it is one of the largest impediments to student success in California’s community colleges. Many students do need additional work to be ready for college, particularly in math. But every year hundreds of thousands of students are deemed underprepared for college and placed into developmental courses from which relatively few emerge. Throughout the state, community colleges are revising assessment and placement procedures to ensure that students who are ready for college are not placed in developmental education. And, given the high failure rates in traditional developmental courses, colleges are also experimenting with alternative curricular approaches.
Report California’s Need for Skilled Workers By Sarah Bohn Sep 17, 2014 If recent trends continue, California is likely to face a shortage of workers with some college education but less than a bachelor’s degree by 2025. State and federal policymakers have increased their focus on boosting educational opportunities for this segment of the workforce. This report examines labor market outcomes among workers with some college training to shed light on the types of jobs that hold the most promise for future workers and the state economy.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia ... Oct 30, 2023 We examine how student outcomes have changed in the years following Assembly Bill 705, which broadened access to transfer-level math and English courses at California’s community colleges.
Report Improving College Pathways in California By Niu Gao, Hans Johnson Nov 27, 2017 Far too many California students are falling off the pathway to and through college. At current rates of high school and college completion, only about 30 percent of California 9th graders will earn a bachelor’s degree, a rate that is insufficient for an economy that increasingly demands more highly educated workers.