event Building Resilience for Cities and Farms with Water Partnerships Feb 2, 2021 California’s urban and agricultural regions face different but equally daunting water challenges. Partnerships can help build a more secure water future for cities and farms, bring environmental benefits, and improve resilience across California’s water system.
blog post Testimony: A New Era of Student Access at California’s Community Colleges By Olga Rodriguez Jan 19, 2021 In testimony for the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, PPIC’s Olga Rodriguez presents research showing that expanded access to transfer-level English and math courses improves student outcomes and narrows—but does not erase—racial inequities.
blog post Improving College Readiness through Dual Enrollment By Olga Rodriguez, Niu Gao, Bonnie Brooks, Gabriel Gutierrez-Aragon Jan 15, 2021 Dual enrollment--allowing high school students to take college courses--is an important strategy for expanding educational opportunities. It’s especially important for helping students from underserved communities.
blog post The Year Ahead in Higher Education By Hans Johnson Jan 13, 2021 Last year brought historic disruptions to California’s colleges and universities. In 2021, how can policymakers and higher education officials draw on lessons learned during the pandemic while building on progress that was underway prior to COVID-19?
blog post Election Takeaways: California Voters Send Conflicting Signals By Mark Baldassare Dec 14, 2020 Nearly 18 million Californians voted in the November 2020 election—an all-time high. PPIC’s Mark Baldassare discusses the final election results and what they say about Californians’ mindset and policy preferences in a year of unprecedented challenges.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Economic Well-Being By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Alyssa Dykman Dec 9, 2020 Key findings from the current survey include six in ten Californians think that when today’s children grow up, they will be worse off financially than their parents. About seven in ten Californians are still either very or somewhat worried that someone in their family will get sick from coronavirus, while two in three worry that the pandemic will hurt their finances. In the past year, 43 percent of households with incomes under $40,000 had someone with reduced work hours or pay. A majority of Democrats and most Republicans support increased public funding for job training so that more workers have the skills needed for today’s jobs.
blog post Testimony: Getting to Graduation on Time at California State University By Jacob Jackson Nov 19, 2020 PPIC’s Jacob Jackson testified before the Select Committee on Student Success on increasing the share of CSU students who graduate in four years by encouraging them to take full course loads early in college.
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.
blog post Election Day and California’s Future By Mark Baldassare Nov 3, 2020 In a year of unprecedented crises, Californians express a high level of enthusiasm about voting, and the state appears on course to set a modern-day record for voter turnout.
Report Water Partnerships between Cities and Farms in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley By Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan, Ellen Hanak, Robert Wilkinson Oct 28, 2020 The San Joaquin Valley and urban Southern California are worlds apart, but each faces growing water challenges. Both regions’ water futures could be more secure if they take advantage of shared water infrastructure to jointly develop and manage some water supplies.