Report Stackable Credentials in Career Education at California Community Colleges By Sarah Bohn, Shannon McConville Oct 22, 2018 California is investing in career education programs at its community colleges. Stackable credentials are a key component—students who “stack” multiple, related awards can build skills and increase earnings over time. We need to know more about how well-designed stackable credential programs help students succeed.
Report A New Era of Student Access at California’s Community Colleges By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson Nov 18, 2020 A landmark law (AB 705) has helped tens of thousands of community college students complete the courses necessary for transfer to a four-year college. But student outcomes vary across campuses, and more work is needed to ensure equitable access and completion rates—particularly in math.
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 Remedial Education Reforms at California’s Community Colleges: Early Evidence on Placement and Curricular Reforms By Olga Rodriguez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson Aug 15, 2018 California’s community colleges are in the midst of a major transformation of developmental education. Several colleges have been experimenting with placement and curricular reforms for some time. An examination of the efforts of these early implementers can shed light on the potential impact of system-wide reforms on student outcomes.
Report Reforming English Pathways at California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Olga Rodriguez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Bonnie Brooks Feb 27, 2018 California’s community colleges are in the midst of numerous reforms to improve developmental (also known as remedial or basic skills) education. Developmental education is supposed to help prepare students for college work, but it has long been an obstacle to student success: most students in developmental courses never go on to complete a college-level course in English or math.
Report Career Pathways and Economic Mobility at California’s Community Colleges By Sarah Bohn, Jacob Jackson, Shannon McConville Jun 26, 2019 Career education credentials from California’s community colleges can help students advance in the labor market. But some programs offer larger economic returns than others, and it can take a long time for students to see increased earnings. Improving student outcomes—while also responding to future workforce needs—is a challenging but critical task facing the state.
Report English as a Second Language at California’s Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez, Laura Hill, Daniel Payares-Montoya Nov 28, 2022 Colleges began implementing reforms aimed at improving English as a Second Language pathways in fall 2021—during a historic pandemic. We cannot yet disentangle the impact of reforms from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, but an analysis of early implementation finds that colleges have made significant progress.
Report English as a Second Language in California’s Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez, Sarah Bohn, Laura Hill, Bonnie Brooks Apr 29, 2019 English language proficiency can facilitate social and economic mobility for non-native speakers—and California’s community colleges are key providers of ESL education. Now that a new law is motivating colleges across the state to reexamine their ESL programs, we need a better understanding of ESL students and the policies that help them succeed.
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.
blog post New Reforms at California Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez Nov 8, 2018 New reforms in California's community colleges could make placement policies more uniform and transparent, with potential to improve student outcomes and narrow achievement gaps.
