Report Coordinating California’s Higher Education System By Paul Warren Mar 6, 2019 Establishing an independent council to provide leadership, expertise, and coordination across sectors of higher education would help California better meet student and workforce needs. This brief report outlines key considerations for building a successful council.
Report Higher Education in California: Student Costs By Jacob Jackson Nov 12, 2014 Increases in tuition across California’s public four-year universities have heightened concerns about the affordability of a college education, especially for those with the lowest incomes. In-state full tuition at the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) has risen more dramatically than at other public universities in other states over the past decade. During this same period, the federal, state, and institutional grant and scholarship programs that help make college affordable for students from lower- and middle-income families expanded. This helped lower-income families keep up with rising tuition, but the full price of college beyond tuition can still be a relatively large share of their income. Given the importance of higher education to California’s economic future, policymakers at the federal, state, and institutional levels need to make a continuing commitment to keep college affordable for students from low- and middle-income families. Also, given current tuition levels, it is more important than ever for the state to ensure that all students fill out financial aid forms and can easily access tools that can help them understand the financial aid packages they are offered.
blog post A Coordinating Council for Higher Education By Paul Warren Mar 14, 2019 If properly designed, a new coordinating body could help ensure that California's system of public colleges and universities is meeting students' needs and achieving the state's long-term goals.
blog post Expanding Education, Reducing Recidivism By Mia Bird, Amy Lerman Aug 19, 2015 A federal pilot program to allow access to Pell Grants to those incarcerated in prisons could not only expand access to higher education, but it could also improve public safety and reduce correctional costs.
Report Higher Education in California: Institutional Costs By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Margaret Weston, Kevin Cook Nov 12, 2014 Over the past 20 years, in-state tuition at both the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) has more than tripled. These tuition increases have led many to believe that spending in the state’s public higher education systems is out of control. However, a closer look reveals that institutional expenditures in the two systems—including faculty salaries and benefits, the largest budget category—have not increased significantly. Our evaluation of both revenues and expenditures shows that recent tuition increases have been driven by dramatic reductions in state subsidies to UC and CSU. In the past, General Fund contributions covered the majority of educational costs. Today, students (often with help from federal, state, institutional, and private grants) pay most of these costs through tuition and associated fees. Better budget data could help policymakers monitor costs and align higher education funding with state goals. But it is clear that tuition at California’s public universities has risen much more rapidly than the cost of providing higher education.
Report Modernizing California’s Education Data System By Jacob Jackson, Kevin Cook Nov 28, 2018 Unlike most other states, California lacks a data system that can follow students from K–12 schools to college and into the workforce. Linking data across sectors would help policymakers and educational leaders promote student success and institutional effectiveness.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Future By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner Dec 1, 2014 Some findings of the current survey: While many Californians believe the state will be a better place to live in 2025, most (55%) think that today’s children will be worse off financially than their parents. A solid majority of Californians think that state and local governments are not doing enough to respond to the current drought. Californians are divided along party lines about extending the Proposition 30 tax increases, but there is bipartisan support for raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. Most Californians think the state is not adequately funding public colleges and universities—but few favor paying higher taxes or increasing student fees. Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [XLS] California State Legislature [XLS] Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [PDF] Economic Outlook for California [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS] Economic Outlook for California [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the California Postsecondary Education Commission Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
blog post Getting Students from High-Need Schools into the UC System By Jacob Jackson Jul 13, 2016 Improving completion rates in college prep classes may be the key to boosting the enrollment of disadvantaged students at UC.
