Report Dual Enrollment in California By Olga Rodriguez, Niu Gao Oct 18, 2021 Dual enrollment provides opportunities for high school students to take college courses and earn college credit. The pandemic has fueled a nationwide surge in participation, and equity-centered legislation has raised dual enrollment’s profile in California. As dual enrollment expands, state leaders can take steps to promote equitable access and outcomes.
Report Improving Career Education Pathways into California’s Workforce By Shannon McConville, Sarah Bohn, Bonnie Brooks, Mina Dadgar Jul 27, 2021 COVID-19 hit workers with less education hardest, underscoring the need for public investments in workforce training. In this report, we describe student pathways through career education programs at community colleges and discuss insights from stakeholder interviews on how to help more people complete programs and connect to quality jobs.
Report Building California’s Cradle-to-Career Data System By Jacob Jackson Apr 7, 2021 A yearlong collaboration among educational institutions, state agencies, advocates, and researchers has led to a plan for a statewide system that connects K–12, higher education, workforce, and social services data. This report outlines how this shared knowledge base can benefit California—and key considerations for ensuring the system’s long-term success.
Fact Sheet Immigrants and Education in California By Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Mar 24, 2021 Educational attainment among California’s recent immigrants has risen markedly. Immigrants now make up 31% of California workers with at least a bachelor’s degree. However, immigrants also comprise an outsized share of workers with little formal education.
Report Does Raising High School Graduation Requirements Improve Student Outcomes? By Niu Gao Feb 23, 2021 The shift to distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated inequities in California’s K–12 system, adding urgency to an ongoing discussion about the role of high school graduation policy in improving student outcomes. This report shows that more-rigorous graduation requirements can have a positive and equitable impact on college readiness.
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 Getting to Graduation on Time at California State University By Jacob Jackson Nov 12, 2020 Students who take more than four years to graduate incur added costs—from paying extra tuition to forgoing years in the workforce. This report examines how a strategy of taking more courses in the first year at California State University may influence on-time graduation, while exploring how different groups benefit from a full course load.
Report Higher Education and Economic Opportunity in California By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Nov 4, 2020 The pandemic and its economic impact have highlighted longstanding social inequities: low-income and less-educated workers are bearing the brunt of both the virus and the downturn. Now more than ever, policymakers and higher education leaders must find avenues for low income and underrepresented students to access the benefits of a college degree.
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 Expanding Enrollment Capacity at California State University By Kevin Cook, Radhika Mehlotra Aug 26, 2020 Financial constraints threaten CSU’s ability to meet the growing demand for higher education. As the governor and state policymakers contend with limited resources, prioritizing enrollment growth and capital planning at CSU will be vital to the state’s economic future.
