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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 >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Out of the Dark: Bringing California’s Education Data into the 21st Century (2018)
For some students, the path from education to employment is a direct line from high school to college enrollment to a job. But for most students, the path is winding or broken. To significanly increase the number of Californians with postsecondary degrees and to close equity gaps, California needs a clearer understanding of students’ pathways Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Money Left on the Table (2018)
While the skyrocketing price of college tuition has been discussed at length, less time has been spent examining the additional costs that students often have to bear, like food, rent, books, and transportation. The federally funded Pell Grant helps financially eligible students focus on their studies and earn their degree because it can be used Read more >
Publications & Research
California Community College Students Missing Out on Nearly $130 Million of Financial Aid Each Semester
Affordability is a major barrier keeping students from pursuing higher education. While the skyrocketing price of college tuition has been discussed at length, less time has been spent examining the additional costs that students often have to bear, like food, rent, books, and transportation. The federally funded Pell Grant helps financially eligible students focus on Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Choosing Our Future 2.0 (2018)
Fresno Unified School District has made profound improvements since 2004 when most its schools had academic performance ratings in the bottom 10% of California and was in jeopardy of fiscal takeover by the state. Even with drastic growth in graduation rates, there remain three enormous challenges to overcome if future graduates from the district are Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Left Out: How Exclusion in California’s Colleges and Universities Hurts Our Values, Our Students, and Our Economy (2018)
California’s public colleges and universities are among the best and most diverse in the nation. Student demographics lone would qualify many of our colleges and universities as Hispanic Serving Institutions and Asian, American Indian, Pacific Islander Institutions, meaning they have a significant representation of Latinx, Asian, and Native students. Two-thirds of the 2.8 million students Read more >
News & Commentary, Publications & Research
Opportunity Imbalance: Race, Gender, and California’s Education-to-Employment Pipeline (2018)
Despite California’s growing economy, the state is home to the highest poverty rate in the nation, and the chasm between richest and poorest is wide and deep. Income disparity is one significant driver of this paradox, and one that greater access to meaningful postsecondary education can help address. To ensure that access to postsecondary opportunity Read more >