blog post College Graduates and California’s Future By Mark Baldassare, Hans Johnson Nov 16, 2017 California’s population and economy are changing, and its higher education institutions need to increase both college enrollment and completion rates.
Report Higher Education in California: Making College Affordable By Hans Johnson, Jacob Jackson, Courtney Lee Oct 1, 2019 After doubling during the Great Recession, tuition at California’s public universities has leveled off. However, non-tuition costs are significant, especially for students from low-income families. State financial aid programs focus mostly on tuition, so students must cover costs that add up to thousands of dollars.
Report Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune May 18, 2022 Funding for California’s K–12 public schools has reached record highs, but gaps in student outcomes remain. Understanding the benefits of additional funds, and how to distribute those funds, are key concerns for policymakers. This report offers insights from a robust body of research on the extent to which higher spending improves outcomes.
Fact Sheet Self-Employment in California By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Jenny Duan, Sarah Bohn Jan 26, 2024 Self-employment is an important contributor to California’s economy; the self-employed make up 11% of workers statewide and the jobs they create account for 23% of total employment. Rates of self-employment vary across regions and demographic groups.
blog post Serving California’s Diverse College Students By Sergio Sanchez, Hans Johnson Feb 27, 2019 California is enrolling more historically underserved students in the state's public higher education systems, but helping them to graduate in four years remains a big challenge.
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.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: How Hospital Discharge Data Can Inform State Homelessness Policy By Shannon McConville, Hemal Kanzaria, Renee Hsia, Maria Raven ... Sep 19, 2022 As the only guaranteed source of health care open around the clock, hospital emergency departments (EDs) are at the frontlines of serving Californians who are homeless. Linking discharge data from ED visits with data from local and state resources may help policymakers understand and respond to the needs of California’s homeless population.
blog post Is the Decline in the Humanities Overstated? By Hans Johnson, Sergio Sanchez Aug 31, 2018 The share of humanities degrees awarded by California’s colleges and universities is in decline. Will the trend persist?
Report Managing Water and Farmland Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley By Ellen Hanak, Andrew Ayres, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou ... Sep 18, 2023 How can the San Joaquin Valley adapt to a future with less water? We’ve been researching this issue for the past seven years, and our new report presents highlights from we’ve learned, including a robust list of policy suggestions to help the valley weather—and make the most of—the coming changes.
