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News & Commentary
Watch Now: California’s Candidates for Lt. Governor on the Future of Higher Education
As a University of California regent, a trustee of the California State University, and chair of the Commission for Economic Development, California’s next lieutenant governor is well-positioned to deeply influence higher education policy and practice. It is vital for voters to understand how and why this role and race are so important to our students, Read more >
News & Commentary
Close California’s Income Gap With a Clearer Path from Kindergarten to College Degree
By Monica Lozano, Special to The Sacramento Bee California’s booming economy is the fifth-largest in the world—but residents experience some of the highest and fastest-growing income inequality in the nation, and our poverty rate tops all other states when cost of living is factored in. It’s no surprise that generating economic opportunity and upward mobility Read more >
Spotlights
Norco: A Student-Centered College
From her first visit to campus, Maria Barragan says that Norco College “felt like home.” As a recent transplant from Los Angeles County, Maria had no friends or former classmates on campus. But when another student saw her looking for the room to take placement tests and offered to escort her across campus, Maria knew Read more >
News & Commentary
What is Guided Pathways?
Community colleges are the primary gateway for California’s high school graduates to enter higher education. This is especially true for low-income and first-generation college students. Last year 246,000 students enrolled in California’s community colleges as first-time freshmen—compared to 66,000 at the California State University and 46,000 at the University of California. The traditional approach of Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Intersegmental Partnerships and Data Sharing: Promising Practices from the Field (2018)
California’s new accountability and continuous improvement system relies on partners using several different measures of performance to identify where changes are needed throughout a student’s learning life. Carefully monitoring the development, testing, and evaluation of improvement strategies requires partners having access to research-based evidence and strategies that they can implement in their schools. Statewide success Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
A Seat at the Table (2018)
California Assembly Bill 705 mandates that all community colleges in the state will soon allow students to enroll directly in transferable, college-level English composition (with concurrent support for those who need it) instead of taking remedial, non-transferable classes. It also requires English as a second language (ESL) programs at community colleges to ensure that students Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Multiple Paths Forward: Diversifying Mathematics as a Strategy for College Success (2018)
As students transition from high school to college, math placement is key to starting students on the path to college success. Yet traditional approaches to math placement and preparation have created significant barriers for students in California and across the country. Research shows that one-time placement tests underestimate student readiness for college-level math, and general Read more >
News & Commentary
Bold Leadership Working for Community College Students
Today, the vast majority of California’s public school students are from low-income families or from populations historically underrepresented in higher education—including Latinos and African Americans. These students are the face of California’s future. However, these students face significant barriers in their pathway to a degree, and their college completion rates remain far below white and Read more >
News & Commentary, Spotlights
Grantee Spotlight: Q&A with Lande Ajose, Executive Director of California Competes
College Futures Foundation provides support to a number of policy groups that are focused on improving college opportunity and outcomes for low-income and underrepresented students in California. Our grantee partner California Competes is committed to making the education-to-employment pipeline work for more Californians. We spoke with executive director Lande Ajose about the biggest issues facing Read more >