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News & Commentary
Investing in CSU is good for the California economy
Opinion Editorial by Eloy Ortiz Oakley | Posted on Capitol Weekly | 3.13.2025 OPINION – A new California Mobility Index (CMI) ranking the state’s four-year institutions did more than highlight the importance of the California State University (CSU) system to low- and moderate-income Californians and the state’s economic future. It said two things concurrently: investing Read more >
Directive to Dismiss Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices Presents Opportunity to Define and Seek Equity
Opinion Editorial by Eloy Ortiz Oakley featured in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education February 19, 2025 The fear-fueled call to abandon core principles that uplift economies and empower individuals took an authoritarian turn last Friday when college leaders received a “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Before our nation’s Read more >
Press Releases & Announcements
New index ranks California four-year colleges and universities by economic mobility
Contact: Sara Sandhu Sr. Communications Officer ssandhu@collegefutures.org (415) 287-1819 87% of the top 15 institutions are in the CSU system 95% of the top 20 are public colleges 95% of the top 20 are Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) Oakland, CA (Feb. 20, 2025) – A new ranking system for California four-year institutions takes a Read more >
Publications & Research
Reaching California’s College Attainment Goals
At College Futures Foundation, we believe in the power of postsecondary opportunity. We believe securing the postsecondary success of learners facing the most formidable barriers will ensure that all of us can thrive—our communities, our economy, and our state. Today, just 56% of California adults ages 25 to 64 hold a postsecondary degree or credential. While this Read more >
Publications & Research
State of Higher Education in California
At College Futures Foundation, we aspire to help shape better futures for Californians and their families. We believe that achieving a robust, inclusive society and economy in California requires moving beyond the status quo and ensuring that the most underserved learners and workers in our state — Black and Latinx adults, those aged 25 or Read more >
Press Releases & Announcements
“California College Programs That Pay” Report Reveals Where Some College Programs Deliver Big While Some Don’t
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3 a.m. PDT Thurs., Oct. 3, 2024 CONTACT Sara Sandhu, Senior Communications Officer ssandhu@collegefutures.org (415) 287-1819 College Futures Foundation says California’s diverse learners deserve transparency on their education investment, challenges institutions to deliver on economic mobility Oakland, CA (Oct. 3, 2024) – New research from College Futures Foundation provides fresh insight into Read more >
Publications & Research
California College Programs That Pay: Measuring Return on Investment Across Majors and Credentials
College Futures Foundation’s new report, California College Programs That Pay: Measuring Return on Investment Across Majors and Credentials, provides fresh insight into just how long it takes graduates to recoup higher education costs by specific programs of study at institutions across California. Lead author and researcher of the report, Michael Itzkowitz of the HEA Group examined Read more >
Publications & Research
Supporting Student Success Together
In 2021, in response to the long-standing high rates of college student basic needs insecurity that were exacerbated by the pandemic, College Futures Foundation funded 5 community-based organizations (CBOs) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, Rise Student Navigator Network, OneFuture Coachella Valley, Braven, and United Way Bay Area – partnering with California higher education institutions to provide holistic student supports. College Futures then engaged Education Northwest, an education research and evaluation firm, in a learning project to examine the capacities, conditions, and strategies necessary to form successful partnerships between CBOs and higher education institutions. Read more >
News & Commentary
Understanding the Path to Economic Mobility for California’s Learners
California boasts the fifth largest economy in the world and is a national model for progress and equity in many ways. Despite this prosperity, California struggles with some of the highest levels of income inequality in the country. How can higher education serve as a pathway for the lowest income Californians and their families to Read more >