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Community College English in California’s New Era of Student Access

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez

Major assessment and placement reforms at the state's community colleges have all but eliminated remedial prerequisites. As a result, students are much more likely to complete college composition—the “gateway” transfer-level English course. However, more work is needed to address persistent racial equity gaps and pandemic challenges.

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Repaying Student Loans a Struggle for Those Who Do Not Graduate

By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson

Initially enacted to ease the economic shocks of the pandemic, a pause on federal student loan payments could end later this summer. Restarting payments could pose a challenge for many borrowers, especially those who do not complete their degree.

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Addressing Inequities in Reopening Schools during COVID

By Joseph Herrera, Darriya Starr, Emmanuel Prunty, Niu Gao

While nearly all California schools switched to remote learning early in the pandemic, the return to in-person instruction varied across the state—potentially worsening educational inequities.

Report

Understanding the Effects of School Funding

By Julien Lafortune

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.

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California K–12 Enrollment Declines Continue to Exceed Expectations

By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty

K–12 public school enrollment statewide has fallen for five straight years, with a decrease of more than 270,000 students over the past two years alone. Examining the variation across regions provides insights into this enrollment decline.

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Extended Freeze on Student Loan Payments Could Help Many California Borrowers

By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson

The federal government’s moratorium on student loan payments during the COVID-19 crisis, along with plans to eliminate defaults and delinquencies, may leave many California borrowers better off than they were before the pandemic, when many struggled to make progress on their loans.

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Helping K–12 Students Recover from the Pandemic

By Laura Hill, Niu Gao, Julien Lafortune

Increased state and federal resources will play a key role as California helps students overcome learning disruptions of the past two years, though longer-term challenges remain.

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Geography of Community College Transfers in California

By Cesar Alesi Perez, Hans Johnson, Vicki Hsieh

Transfers from community colleges to the University of California and California State University have increased in recent years, though transfer rates vary across community college districts and campuses and across racial/ethnic groups.

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What’s Next for Higher Education?

By Hans Johnson, Kevin Cook, Lande Ajose

Another uncertain year is likely, even as students and the institutions they attend seek to return to some semblance of normalcy. What are key issues to watch in 2022 in improving access, completion, and equity in California’s higher education systems?

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