blog post Declining Higher Education Enrollment Could Widen Inequality in California By Daniel Payares-Montoya, Tess Thorman, Joseph Herrera Mar 31, 2023 The gap between high and low incomes in California is wide and growing. Recent declines in college enrollment may make it harder for the state to address this economic divide.
Report K–12 Reforms and California’s English Learner Achievement Gap By Laura Hill May 30, 2018 English Learner (EL) students have been a key part of California’s K–12 system for decades. They currently make up about 21 percent of the public school population. English Learner status is meant to be temporary, and indeed, reclassified English Learners (those who are deemed English proficient) are among the best-performing students in the state. But students who remain ELs for longer periods generally have poor outcomes.
Report New Eligibility Rules for the University of California? The Effects of New Science Requirements By Niu Gao, Hans Johnson, Julien Lafortune, Anthony Dalton Nov 20, 2019 The UC system has proposed requiring three years of high school science, instead of two, to align with new K–12 standards. But this change could also reduce eligibility, especially for underrepresented students. Stakeholders can take several steps to help ensure the policy promotes equity.
blog post Who Is Unemployed in California? By Sarah Bohn Aug 24, 2023 While still historically low, unemployment in California has ticked up over the past year. Unemployment among men has increased more than for most other demographic groups and much more than for women.
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.
Report Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards: Early Evidence from California By Niu Gao, Lunna Lopes, Grace Lee, Sara Adan Mar 6, 2018 The California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to transform science teaching and learning in K–12 schools in 2013. The new standards emphasize “three-dimensional learning”: disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices.
blog post Dual Admission Could Help More Students Transfer from Community College to State Universities By Hans Johnson Feb 19, 2021 Under a proposed dual admission program, students who enroll in a California community college would be conditionally accepted to a state university. This could expand access to a bachelor’s degree and help address equity gaps in higher education.
blog post Testimony: Closing California’s Workforce Skills Gap By Hans Johnson May 18, 2016 Hans Johnson, PPIC Higher Education Center director, testifies before a legislative subcommittee and identifies specific goals that together could close California’s workforce skills gap.
