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California’s Care Workforce

By Shannon McConville, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Sarah Bohn

State master plans on the aging population and early learning and care have prioritized workforce expansion and career pathways for care workers who provide key services to young children, older residents, and people with disabilities. A new report outlines current realities and highlights challenges and opportunities in growing this critical workforce.

blog post

What to Watch for in Higher Education in 2024

By Olga Rodriguez, Kevin Cook

With policymakers facing a sizeable state budget deficit, we highlight higher education issues to watch this year, including key opportunities and areas of concern.

Fact Sheet

California’s Population

By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Eric McGhee

Growth in the nation’s most populous state has slowed notably in the 21st century, with recent years bringing a drop in population due to higher deaths, lower births, and changes in migration. More than half of Californians under 24 are Latino while more than half of Californians 65 and older are white.

Report

A Hiring Incentive that Works: The California Competes Tax Credit

By David Neumark, Matthew Freedman, Benjamin Hyman, Shantanu Khanna

Established in 2013, the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) boosts firm employment and payroll growth within California by as much as 30 percent within three years. This growth benefits a wide range of workers and is greater in parts of the state with higher levels of poverty and unemployment.

Report

Factors and Future Projections for K–12 Declining Enrollment

By Julien Lafortune, Emmanuel Prunty

Over the past five years, enrollment has fallen in nearly three-quarters of California school districts, and the trend is expected to continue into the next decade. Faster declines could bring pressure to close schools, along with concerns about the students and neighborhoods bearing the costs of downsizing.

Report

Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia

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

Assessing Transitional Kindergarten’s Impact on Elementary School Trajectories

By Julien Lafortune, Laura Hill

California’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program provides an early year of schooling within the K–12 system. Launched a decade ago with limited eligibility, TK will soon be open to all four-year-olds. Taking stock of the program’s impact so far—especially among multilingual and special education students—can help TK expansion succeed.

Report

Are Younger Generations Committing Less Crime?

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Deepak Premkumar

Among Californians born in 1993 and later, criminal offending has fallen 20 to 25 percent compared to previous generations. This shift in longstanding trends is a driving factor behind the overall decline in crime over the last decades and has several broader implications for the criminal justice system.

Report

Improving College Access and Success through Dual Enrollment

By Olga Rodriguez, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Iwunze Ugo, Niu Gao

At one time, mainly high-achieving high school students took college courses through dual enrollment; but access has widened under the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) program. While CCAP students are benefiting from the program—they enroll in community college at high rates and reach key milestones—CCAP has room to improve.

blog post

Video: English as a Second Language at California’s Community Colleges

By Mary Severance

In fall 2021, California community colleges began putting in place major reforms to English as a Second Language pathways. PPIC’s Daniel Payares-Montoya, Olga Rodriguez, and Laura Hill discuss new research on early implementation efforts, including the impact of the pandemic.

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