blog post California Remains on Track to Close the Degree Gap By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia May 18, 2021 Six years ago, PPIC projected a shortage of 1.1 million highly educated workers in California by 2030. Today—despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic—the state is on track to close this gap.
blog post A Year into Distance Learning, California’s Digital Divide Persists By Niu Gao, Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill May 13, 2021 Although more K–12 students now have access to computer devices compared to last spring, disparities in internet access generally have not narrowed in the past year.
blog post Video: Distance Learning Strategies in California Schools By Stephanie Barton Apr 30, 2021 An expert panel discusses new PPIC research on how K–12 districts across the state have handled distance learning amid the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.
blog post Can Dryland Farming Help California Agriculture Adapt to Future Water Scarcity? By Lori Pottinger Apr 19, 2021 Future restrictions on groundwater pumping to meet sustainability requirements could result in large areas of farmland coming out of production in the San Joaquin Valley. We talked to agroecologist Caity Peterson about the potential for dryland farming to reduce the need to fallow land.
blog post California Sees More College Graduates, but Progress Is Uneven By Cesar Alesi Perez, Hans Johnson, Vicki Hsieh Apr 15, 2021 The share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree has grown, but gains have varied by geography and across racial/ethnic groups.
blog post Geography of Educational Attainment in California By Cesar Alesi Perez, Hans Johnson, Vicki Hsieh Apr 6, 2021 Overall, one-third of Californians age 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree. But this share varies widely—both across the state’s regions and within individual counties.
blog post How the Expanded Child Tax Credit Reduces Child Poverty By Tess Thorman, Patricia Malagon Mar 23, 2021 The recently enacted federal COVID-19 relief package includes a one-year expansion of the Child Tax Credit. This could cut child poverty in California by about one-third, with the estimated effect varying across regions.
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.
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.
blog post A Faster Track for Ecosystem Restoration By Lori Pottinger Aug 24, 2020 The state’s rivers and aquatic species are in trouble, but restoration projects are often slowed by complex permitting requirements. We talked to Erika Lovejoy of Sustainable Conservation about efforts to simplify the process.