blog post Testimony: Increasing Community College Transfers By Hans Johnson Nov 18, 2020 In testimony for the Regents of the University of California, PPIC’s Hans Johnson discusses progress in increasing community college transfers and ways to further improve the transfer pathway.
blog post Can Mandatory College Entrance Exams Boost College Access? By Jacob Jackson Mar 27, 2017 Mandatory college entrance exams could remove a barrier to college entry for California students.
blog post Testimony: California’s Future Need for Bachelor’s Degrees By Patrick Murphy Nov 1, 2016 To meet the demands of the future, California needs to substantially improve access to four-year colleges, transfer rates from community colleges, and completion rates.
blog post High Housing Costs Hurt College Affordability By Jacob Jackson Dec 20, 2017 High housing costs play a significant role in the total price of attending college in California.
Report California’s Care Workforce By Shannon McConville, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Sarah Bohn Apr 3, 2024 State master plans on the aging population and early learning and care have prioritized workforce expansion and career pathways for care workers who provide key services to young children, older residents, and people with disabilities. A new report outlines current realities and highlights challenges and opportunities in growing this critical workforce.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: California’s Care Workforce By Shannon McConville, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Sarah Bohn, Mary Severance Apr 3, 2024 Demand for caregiving services is growing as California’s population ages and as the state invests in early childhood care and learning. There are many workforce challenges—including low pay and limited opportunities for advancement. Efforts in several key areas could improve prospects for care workers and help California meet its caregiving needs.
Report Measuring Institutional Costs at California’s Public Universities By Patrick Murphy, Kevin Cook, Talib Jabbar Mar 15, 2017 California has recently increased its investment in higher education after many years of reducing state support. At the same time, the state’s four-year public systems, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU), are currently poised to raise tuition for the first time in several years. If the past is any indication, intense discussions lie ahead about the need for additional higher education resources. We offer a constructive starting point for those discussions by introducing a straightforward and objective assessment of institutional costs. We rely on a measure that connects institutional costs to the number of degrees UC and CSU produce. This measure provides a clear understanding of trends in California’s institutional costs and allows comparisons with colleges and universities in other states. It also offers higher education institutions the opportunity to demonstrate progress toward their goals in an accessible, transparent way. Applying this measure to California’s public four-year institutions, we find that: Institutional costs per degree across UC and CSU fell significantly—17 percent—from 1987 to 2013. This is an important savings in a state that will need to amp up its number of college graduates to meet future economic demand. At UC, the cost per degree fell 6 percent over the period—from $116,000 to $109,000. UC’s institutional costs in 2013 were lower than a comparison group that included both public and private institutions across the nation. But UC’s costs were higher than a national comparison group of public schools only. At CSU, the cost fell 33 percent—from $67,000 to $45,000. CSU’s 2013 costs were lower than both types of comparison groups—one that included public schools only and one that included both public and private institutions. We recommend that policymakers and higher education leaders use the cost per degree measure as a way to frame higher education finance discussions. It provides a consistent, reliable, and objective measure of institutional costs and performance. For the measure to be most effective, accurate data reporting will be essential. We also recommend the reintroduction of a state-level higher education authority to add validity to the process of gauging institutional performance. Using the measure within a larger framework of agreed-upon goals would go a long way toward improving higher education finance policy in California.