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.
blog post The Role of Community Colleges in Supporting Mental Health By Olga Rodriguez Jun 17, 2020 With two-thirds of California community college students reporting higher levels of mental distress during the pandemic, colleges can play a central role in providing counseling, financial assistance, and other support.
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.
blog post Helping Community Colleges Build on Progress during the Pandemic By Hans Johnson Feb 4, 2021 As higher education continues to confront the disruptions from COVID-19, Governor Newsom’s proposed state budget includes funding to help California community colleges boost access and retention and improve student outcomes.
Report Keeping College Affordable for California Students By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson Dec 1, 2021 California’s financial aid programs reduce tuition for most students. But the state and its higher education institutions can improve college access and success by providing additional aid to lower-income students, addressing growing non-tuition costs, and eliminating barriers that increase the time it takes to earn a degree.
press release Online Courses in Community Colleges See Major Growth—But Student Success Rates Lag May 14, 2014
Report Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia Oct 30, 2023 In 2019, a landmark reform removed barriers for community college students in accessing transfer-level math and English courses. While more students are now completing these key early milestones for transfer, additional efforts are needed to address persistent racial equity gaps and promote students’ longer-term success.
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 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.
blog post California Community Colleges Are Transforming Developmental Education By Marisol Cuellar Mejia Sep 27, 2018 California's community colleges are in the midst of a major transformation of developmental education. Early evidence shows that at least one element of these reforms is promising.
