Evidence confirms that student skills other than academic achievement and ability predict a broad range of academic and life outcomes. This evidence, along with a new federal requirement that state accountability systems include an indicator of school quality or student...
The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd is conducting research on the experiences of California teachers as they implement the new California Standards. As a part of this work, the Center is conducting a series of...
A current study analyzes the outcomes of students in Washington State's Community and Technical Colleges over seven years after enrollment. Researchers examine wage increases and employment patterns based on the type of credentials earned—short-term certificates, Associate Degrees, and Long-Term Certificates. The study highlights the significant economic benefits and enhanced employability associated with Associate Degrees and Long-Term Certificates, except for Humanities Associates Degrees, which show minimal wage increases. Interestingly, short-term certificates fail to contribute to increased wages or employment likelihood beyond earning college credits. The findings emphasize the need for prioritizing investment in credentials with higher market value, like Associate Degrees and Long-Term Certificates, despite their higher cost compared to short-term certificates. This is crucial, especially as there's been increased funding for short-term certificates despite their limited returns, as indicated in various state studies. Additionally, advocating for stackable short-term certificates to align with longer-term credentials could enhance the value of these programs. Lastly, efforts to guide students towards higher-return career pathways from the Humanities and Social Sciences, perhaps through early career awareness initiatives, are suggested.
An Institutional-level Analysis of the California Community College System
Commentary authors
Angelica M.G. Palacios
Nexi Delgado
J. Luke Wood
Published
Summary
Research on community college education, particularly for men from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, investigates the impact of different learning styles on academic success and course retention. Comparing face-to-face instruction with various online methods, findings reveal that Asian, Black, Latino, and White men generally fare better in traditional in-person classes. Online learning formats don't consistently outperform face-to-face instruction except for Black men, who show higher success rates with asynchronous learning involving multimedia. A new study highlights the effectiveness of in-person teaching for these students and recommends expanding online options while ensuring equitable success for diverse racial and ethnic groups. Given the significant proportion of community college students in California and the high representation of racial ethnic minorities, there is a need for special consideration when promoting online education among Asian, Black, Latino, and White men. Further research is urged to identify online teaching methods that replicate the benefits of face-to-face learning, focusing on variations in online material presentation and classroom interactions.
The education of English learners (EL) continues to be a topic of great interest across the country. But there has been little research to identify what steps to take in order to best serve this diverse group of students. In...
Many young children grow up without supportive home learning environments. One often cited study found that by the age of four, poor children hear about 30 million fewer words than wealthy children.[i] This fissure manifests in great differences in children’s...
The Learning Policy Institute released its brief, The Building Blocks of High-Quality Early Childhood Education Programs, at a policy convening co-hosted by Early Edge California and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). The Learning Policy Institute's Principal Research Manager Marjorie...
The academic performance gap between English learners (ELs) and non-ELs is significant, roughly a standard deviation in math and reading. There has been a debate on bilingual versus English-only education for ELs, with limited rigorous research. Researchers have recently addressed this by analyzing a large urban district's data, tracking 13,750 EL students from kindergarten through middle school. They compared four EL instructional programs (transitional bilingual, developmental bilingual, dual immersion, English immersion) and their impact on ELs' academic growth in English Language Arts (ELA) and math. Using robust methods that controlled for parental preferences in school selection, researchers found that all bilingual programs show at least equal or better growth in ELA scores compared to English immersion, with dual immersion having the strongest effect. In math, all programs except developmental bilingual show positive growth. Additionally, Latino ELs perform better in bilingual programs than Chinese ELs. Initial English proficiency didn't impact program effectiveness. These findings emphasize the potential of well-designed bilingual programs, especially for Latino ELs, suggesting the importance of reconsidering state bans on bilingual education in public schools to better serve ELs and their communities.
Students who ride the school bus in the critical first year of formal education – kindergarten – are absent less often and have lower odds of being chronically absent, a key indicator of future academic success, according to a new...
Over the past two decades, charter schools emerged as part of school reform efforts, providing parental choice in education. However, research highlights that despite their intended autonomy and innovation, charter schools have often failed to offer sustainable working conditions for teachers. A new study, focusing on a Los Angeles charter school organization, delves into teachers' experiences leading to unionization in 2005, aiming to understand why choice-based environments pushed educators towards collective action. Teachers described a vibrant yet exhausting professional setting, lacking job security and facing longer working hours compared to district teachers. Despite initial collaboration with school leaders, teachers felt unheard about their working conditions, prompting unionization discussions. Over 60% of teachers voted for a union, desiring sustainable working conditions and a voice in decision-making. However, the governing board resisted, perceiving the union as an impediment to their flexibility. The study emphasizes the struggle of charter school teachers for equitable working conditions and the significance of their collective actions in achieving sustainability. This research remains pertinent in understanding charter school challenges, as highlighted by recent unionization attempts and legal disputes in Los Angeles charter schools.
California parents are getting behind some of the state’s most recent school accountability strategies, according to results from a new poll. Launched in March 2017, the California School Dashboard is an online tool that shows how schools are performing according...
For more than a decade, LGBTQ students have faced significant challenges in schools, enduring bullying and feeling unsafe, affecting their academic and mental well-being. California's groundbreaking law, AB537, passed over 15 years ago, marked a pivotal moment, establishing comprehensive protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in education. In response, schools implemented inclusive measures such as teacher training, diverse curriculum, and support groups like gay-straight alliances (GSAs). While earlier studies focused on student perspectives, a recent study analyzes statewide data from over 3,700 teachers and nearly 100 principals in California. The findings reveal that schools emphasizing SOGI-inclusive policies experience reduced bullying, particularly in environments perceived as less safe by teachers, highlighting the significance of these policies in creating safer school climates. This research underscores the importance of combining and accessing varied data sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of school environments, ultimately shifting the focus from individual students to systemic approaches for creating inclusive and safe school environments for all students.
The experience of the last quarter century tells us that it only takes one number to label, shame, or laud a school. But it takes a bunch of indicators to help one improve. Using single indicators to name and shame...
Researchers exploring the role of school counseling site supervisors in California have discovered gaps in their training and practices. Despite a state requirement for these supervisors to hold credentials as school counselors, there are no established standards or guidelines for their preparation or practice in this role. Out of 220 practicing school counselor site supervisors surveyed, a notable 41% felt unprepared by their counselor education programs for their supervisory role. Furthermore, a significant majority received inadequate training during their graduate programs, with only a small percentage participating in dedicated courses or workshops on supervision. A news study highlights a lack of ongoing supervision for these supervisors, with most indicating a strong interest in receiving proper training, particularly through handbooks, workshops, and conferences. The research underscores the necessity for counselor education programs to take the lead in developing appropriate supervision models, advocating for clearer standards, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to address this critical need in school counseling.
High-achieving, Black, elementary school students are much less likely than their White peers to receive assignments to gifted and talented programs in math and reading, according to a new study. However, the disparities in rates of placement essentially disappear among...
The conference was co-sponsored by the Learning Policy Institute LPI), Policy Analysis for California Education, and the Education Policy Center at AIR. The program featured new evidence on the scale of California’s emerging teacher shortage, including research presentations and panel...
The conference was co-sponsored by the Learning Policy Institute LPI), Policy Analysis for California Education, and the Education Policy Center at AIR. The program featured new evidence on the scale of California’s emerging teacher shortage, including research presentations and panel...
In recent years, interest has grown in school-based interventions targeting executive function to boost academic success. Executive function, crucial for goal-oriented behavior in academics, has shown correlations with weaker academic performance, notably in reading and math. However, uncertainties persist regarding a direct causal relationship. A comprehensive review of 67 studies revealed a moderate link between executive function and academic success, especially in K-12 reading and math. Yet, when accounting for background factors like socioeconomic status or parental education, only a few connections remained robust, suggesting a less straightforward association. While interventions displayed potential in enhancing executive function, they lacked substantial evidence directly connecting these improvements to academic progress. More thorough research is crucial to definitively establish whether enhancing executive function translates into improved academic performance before implementing widespread school programs.
When we think of elementary and secondary schools, many of us picture students in classrooms taught by lone teachers, overseen by a principal. In reality, many adults work in schools other than teachers and principals. It may be surprising to...
Associate Professor Michael Gottfried from the Department of Education at UC Santa Barbara's Gevirtz School will be giving an invited lecture on “Reducing Truancy and Chronic Absenteeism in California Schools” at the Seminar for Education Policymakers and Scholars on January...
Community colleges, serving diverse student bodies, often rely on placement tests to assess readiness for college-level coursework, resulting in roughly 80% of new California community college students enrolling in remedial classes. Concerns about accuracy and low completion rates associated with tests like ACCUPLACER and COMPASS have prompted a push for reforms, leading to various experimental changes in college placement policies. A new study explores these policy shifts, comparing the use of MDTP diagnostics with ACCUPLACER, uncovering that the switch negatively impacted remediation, causing fewer students to advance through math sequences and a rise in severe placement errors, indicating increased misplacement rates. Conversely, minor adjustments to placement cutoffs demonstrated no significant effects. Recommendations advocate for integrating MDTP diagnostics into placement policies, exploring lower placement cutoffs over higher ones due to the perceived lesser impact of under-placement compared to over-placement, and utilizing regression discontinuity for a more refined evaluation of placement impacts. These suggestions aim to optimize developmental math placement practices, leveraging diagnostic tools and cautiously adjusting cutoffs to bolster student success.
What can states and districts do to improve opportunities and outcomes for English Learners (ELs)? The question is asked and answered often; just this past fall, the U.S. Department of Education released a sprawling toolkit to help states and districts...
Many educators and parents are applauding the end of the "No Child Left Behind" law—the George W. Bush-era education policy that garnered bipartisan support at the time but has proved unsuccessful in the eyes of many. But what...
By month’s end, Congress is expected to pass and President Obama is expected to sign the successor to the No Child Left Behind Act, giving all states the latitude to broadly define student achievement and shape school improvement in ways...
The U.S. Senate voted 85 to 12 Wednesday to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act, a bill that would replace the unpopular education law known as No Child Left Behind. Shortly after the vote, the White House announced that President...