Report The Impact of Budget Cuts on California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Belinda Reyes, Sarah Bohn Mar 26, 2013 Student enrollment rates in California’s community colleges have dropped to a 20-year low in the wake of unprecedented cuts in state funding. Colleges have reduced staff, cut courses, and increased class sizes—all of which have led to declines in student access. This research was supported with funding from the Donald Bren Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and The James Irvine Foundation.
Report Supporting Student Parents in Community College CalWORKs Programs By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Bonnie Brooks Oct 14, 2020 All community colleges run support programs for students who receive CalWORKs, the state’s cash assistance program for poor families with children. Students do better when enrolled in these support programs, but completion rates are low. How can colleges help more CalWORKs students succeed?
Report Financing California’s Community Colleges By Patrick Murphy Jan 14, 2004 This report describes funding trends for the CCC system and assesses its ability to meet its future challenges. It finds that CCC revenue growth has fallen behind that of other systems in both California and the rest of the nation, and that CCC’s complicated allocation system is ripe for reform. The author identifies two ways to improve the system’s resource picture. The first is to fund CCC at the level the legislature guaranteed following the passage of Proposition 98 in 1988. The second is to raise community college tuition and fees, currently the lowest in the nation, while maintaining broad access to the system through the increased use of grants, tax credits, and financial aid programs.
event Broadening Access to Transfer-Level Courses at California’s Community Colleges Oct 8, 2019 The California Community Colleges are undertaking a range of efforts to boost the number of students earning degrees and transferring to four-year universities. Assembly Bill (AB) 705, which focuses on getting students into transfer-level courses, is an especially important reform. What kind of changes might we expect to see in the AB 705 era?
event English as a Second Language in California Community Colleges Apr 30, 2019 Effective English as a second language (ESL) programs can facilitate social and economic mobility for non-native speakers. PPIC researcher Bonnie Brooks will outline a new report about reforms to ESL programs at California’s community colleges intended to improve student outcomes. A panel of experts will then discuss the challenges and benefits of implementing new ESL policies.
blog post Testimony: Community Colleges’ New Scorecard By Hans Johnson Feb 28, 2014 The Select Committee on Community Colleges invited PPIC Bren Fellow Hans Johnson to testify on the Community College Chancellor’s Office efforts to provide new information on student outcomes.
blog post Video: English as a Second Language at California’s Community Colleges By Mary Severance Dec 7, 2022 In fall 2021, California community colleges began putting in place major reforms to English as a Second Language pathways. PPIC’s Daniel Payares-Montoya, Olga Rodriguez, and Laura Hill discuss new research on early implementation efforts, including the impact of the pandemic.
event Reforming English Pathways at California’s Community Colleges Feb 28, 2018 Concerns about the poor track record of developmental (or remedial) English have prompted reforms at community colleges across the state. How widely implemented are these reforms—and are they helping students succeed?
blog post Mapping Equitable Access to Math at California’s Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez, Bonnie Brooks, Vicki Hsieh May 11, 2021 The state’s community colleges have made tremendous progress in expanding access to transfer-level math courses, but overall gains mask important variation across campuses.
