Report Pathways to College Completion in the San Joaquin Valley By Hans Johnson, Olga Rodriguez, Cesar Alesi Perez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Aug 14, 2024 California’s San Joaquin Valley has the lowest college enrollment and completion rates in the state. Yet with its youthful, diverse, growing population; expanding economy; and robust regional networks, dramatic improvements are possible. A new report details how institutions, educators, and policymakers can build on current college-going pathways.
Fact Sheet College Completion in California By Cesar Alesi Perez, Selina Gomez Sep 16, 2024 Despite recent progress, about half of California freshmen do not finish college in four years. Meeting the state’s goal of improving college degree attainment will require boosting graduation rates and shortening time to degree.
blog post Video: Pathways to College Completion in the San Joaquin Valley By Chansonette Buck Aug 29, 2024 California’s San Joaquin Valley has the lowest college enrollment and completion rates in the state, yet it could be on the verge of dramatic improvements. PPIC Higher Education Center director Olga Rodriguez and a panel of experts discuss expanding support in the valley for college-going pathways.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Pathways to College Completion in the San Joaquin Valley By Hans Johnson, Olga Rodriguez, Cesar Alesi Perez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia Aug 14, 2024 California’s San Joaquin Valley’s low four-year college-going and completion rates both drive and reflect the region’s challenging economic realities. The effective strategies some schools and districts use to help students succeed in their college-going pathways can be leveraged and scaled to generate dramatic improvements.
page Completion Apr 19, 2017 The state can boost the number of college graduates by creating policies that help students make timely progress toward their degrees.
blog post Improving On-Time Completion: Year-Round Pell Grants By Sara Adan Aug 12, 2016 One possible way to help lower-income college students graduate on time is to bring back the year-round Pell Grant.
Report Improving College Graduation Rates: A Closer Look at California State University By Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson May 17, 2016 Low college graduation rates come at a high cost—lower salaries, lower tax revenue, and fewer college graduates in the workforce. At California State University (CSU), the nation's largest university system, graduation rates have an outsized financial and economic impact on students and the state. CSU has made strides in improving graduation rates, but there is more work to be done. The system continues to struggle with graduation gaps—underrepresented students are much less likely to complete their degree compared to their peers, and these gaps have not narrowed over time. Also, CSU's on-time (four-year) graduation rates still lag behind those of similar universities nationwide. By 2025, CSU aims to further increase graduation rates while cutting graduation gaps in half. To assist campus planning for this goal, we identify several promising programs and policies. More broadly, the CSU Chancellor's Office must work with campuses to evaluate and expand successful efforts, and the state must play a role in supporting new policies to move the needle on graduation gaps and on-time graduation.
blog post College Gender Gap Starts Early and Extends across Races By Hans Johnson, Daniel Payares-Montoya, Marisol Cuellar Mejia May 23, 2023 Along every step of the educational pathway from 9th grade to college completion, women fare better than men. The college gender gap has far-reaching consequences for young men’s economic prospects, especially for those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia ... Oct 30, 2023 We examine how student outcomes have changed in the years following Assembly Bill 705, which broadened access to transfer-level math and English courses at California’s community colleges.
Report Tracking Progress in Community College Access and Success By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Cesar Alesi Perez, Sidronio Jacobo, Fernando Garcia Oct 30, 2023 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.
