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 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?
blog post Trends in Math Reforms at Community Colleges By Bonnie Brooks Jun 28, 2018 Beginning in 2019, California community colleges will be required to make changes to increase students' chances of completing college-level math and English within a year. Some have already started by making improvements to remedial math courses.
blog post Gender Imbalances in STEM Majors By Hans Johnson Jun 21, 2018 Even though women have an educational advantage over men—in California and the nation—they are underrepresented in STEM majors, earning only about 20% of statewide bachelor's degrees in engineering and computer science in 2016.
blog post Video: Reforming Remedial Math in Community College By Linda Strean Oct 30, 2017 Promising reforms in developmental—or remedial—math are underway at California’s community colleges. Some are promising, but there is room for improvement.
Report Reforming Math Pathways at California’s Community Colleges By Hans Johnson, Olga Rodriguez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Bonnie Brooks Oct 23, 2017 The goal of developmental education (also known as remedial or basic skills education) is to help students acquire the skills they need to be successful in college courses, but its track record is poor. In fact, it is one of the largest impediments to student success in California’s community colleges. Many students do need additional work to be ready for college, particularly in math. But every year hundreds of thousands of students are deemed underprepared for college and placed into developmental courses from which relatively few emerge. Throughout the state, community colleges are revising assessment and placement procedures to ensure that students who are ready for college are not placed in developmental education. And, given the high failure rates in traditional developmental courses, colleges are also experimenting with alternative curricular approaches.
blog post UC’s Experiment in Measuring Costs By Patrick Murphy, Kevin Cook Jul 19, 2017 A little-noticed provision in the state budget could help University of California campuses improve their budgetary decision-making.
blog post Chet Hewitt Joins PPIC Board, Mas Masumoto Named Chair By Mark Baldassare Sep 14, 2016 Chet Hewitt, president and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation, joined PPIC’s board of directors, and Mas Masumoto, noted author and third-generation farmer, was elected board chair.
