Effective Practices for Postsecondary Student
Success in California

For many of California’s young people, the path to a college degree is the path to social mobility, economic advancement, and success in life. But that path is filled with twists, turns, and obstacles. A majority of high school students in California go directly to college but more must be done to help all students achieve a college degree or credential with value in the labor market.

California faces a major challenge meeting projected workforce demand for bachelor’s degrees in the next 15 years. i The state has recognized the need to support those dedicated postsecondary leaders working to smooth the pathway. New award and grant funding is available for those reducing costs and time to degree to help more students graduate as well as those strengthening linkages with K-12 schools to increase student access to and success in postsecondary education.

This brief, commissioned by the College Futures Foundation, highlights four practice areas and evidence-based implementation strategies drawn from around the country to improve college completion among diverse student populations:

1. Improve K–12 to college transitions
2. Transform remediation and program coherence, and accelerate time-to-degree
3. Improve transfer rates from two- to four-year colleges
4. Collect and use data to improve student progress and outcomes