PACE has been hosting the California Diploma Project, uniting eight stakeholders across the state's education system to enhance alignment. Recently, they endorsed using the 11th-grade CST in the Early Assessment Program as a measure of readiness for college-level work. This sets a clear target for students aiming for college success and provides a benchmark for diverse college assessment systems. However, the majority of California students fall short of this readiness standard. In 2009, only a small percentage met the EAP standard in English and Math. While boosting these numbers won't be simple, having a common indicator for college readiness offers a starting point to address this challenge.
For nearly three decades, PACE has facilitated discussions on California's education policies by integrating academic research into key policy challenges. Traditionally, this involved publishing policy briefs, organizing seminars, and producing the annual 'Conditions of Education in California' report, offering comprehensive data and analysis on the state's education system. The launch of "Conditions of Education in California" as a blog marks a shift to engage a wider audience and enable ongoing updates. This platform, authored by PACE-affiliated researchers across California, aims to share new data, compelling research findings, and insights on current legislation and policies. The objective remains fostering informed discussions on education policy challenges in California, now extending the conversation to policymakers, educators, and citizens. This inclusive dialogue is crucial to drive the necessary policy understanding and momentum for improving the state's education system.
The Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court case in 1982 established that undocumented children have the right to a public education, protecting around 1.5 million children. However, the educational rights of about 65,000 undocumented high school graduates expire annually, posing challenges for their access to higher education. Texas passed HB1403 in 2001, allowing undocumented graduates to pay in-state tuition, citing economic benefits. Following suit, California passed AB540, providing in-state tuition but facing challenges in enrollment. California Senate Bill 1460, the California DREAM Act, aims to grant access to state financial aid for undocumented students who qualify for in-state tuition. Despite state investments in their education, Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed the California DREAM Act three times. With federal immigration reform expected, there are questions whether California will seize the opportunity to tap into the potential talent pool of educated undocumented students by passing the California DREAM Act in 2010. The article highlights the resilience, academic achievement, and community contributions of undocumented students, urging recognition of their potential as an asset for the state.
At a time when California is facing the prospect of falling some one million college graduates short of its workforce needs by 2025, the First Generation to College program has reached into the most economically marginalized area of Oakland to...
The authors of this study employ longitudinal student data to gauge the effect of California's exit exam (CAHSEE, taken in 10th grade) on student persistence (as measured by the percentage of students remaining in school in their original district at...
Graduation rates for low-achieving minority students and girls have fallen nearly 20 percentage points since California implemented a law requiring high school students to pass exit exams in order to graduate, according to a new Stanford study. The new study...
Recent research suggests that a student’s first college academic experiences are critical in increasing their chances of transferring to a four-year college. The number and type of courses that students take in their first semester and the grades they earn...
Most high-school graduates who enter California’s community colleges intending to transfer eventually to a four-year institution either drop out or no longer consider transferring a primary goal after just one semester, according to a report released this week by Policy...
A new report by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) finds that six in 10 students who enter the California community college system as freshmen with high school diplomas and aspirations to transfer to four-year institutions drop out or lower...
"Getting Down to Facts" is a new research initiative commissioned by Governor Schwarzenegger's Committee on Education Excellence, state Democratic leaders, and Superintendent Jack O'Connell. Led by Susanna Loeb, a Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor and PACE codirector, this project seeks to explore California's school finance and governance systems. Its objective is to provide comprehensive insights essential for assessing the effectiveness of potential reforms. The initiative addresses three key questions: the current state of school finance and governance, optimizing existing resources for improved student outcomes, and evaluating the need for additional resources to meet educational goals. The studies from this project are expected to be available by January 2007.
To help lay the groundwork for reforming California's faltering school system, more than 30 researchers nationwide have launched the largest independent investigation ever of how the state governs and finances education. Stanford Associate Professor of Education Susanna Loeb, an economist...
Students, parents, and K–12 educators are not receiving clear messages about the skills that high school students need to enter and succeed in college. U.S. high school students now have higher aspirations for college than ever before. During the last...
Citing the thousands of California students who were shut out of community colleges last year because of budget-forced course and staffing cuts, a report issued Tuesday predicted worse times ahead for the state’s two-year colleges without significant funding and policy...
California faces a huge increase in demand for higher education over the next few years, and it urgently needs a broad plan to meet its statutory guarantee of access to college, state business and labor leaders said on Tuesday during...
Too Much Demand: California faces a huge increase in demand for higher education over the next few years, and it urgently needs a broad plan to meet its statutory guarantee of access to college, according to “Ensuring Access With Quality...
A growing body of literature suggests that high school curriculum, especially during the senior year, is greatly lacking in academic intensity. A recent report from the National Commission on the High School Senior Year indicates that students find the last...
High school seniors have slacked off for as long as anyone can remember. "Senior slump" isn't news, but education Professor Michael W. Kirst's explanation and proposed solutions for it are. It's where he lays the blame for students who goof...
Authored by Stanford education professor Michael W. Kirst, this 24-page report is the latest in the "Perspectives in Public Policy: Connecting High Education and the Public School" series, published by The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) and The National Center...
By linking schooling with a specific field or occupation, the thinking goes, students will be able to see more direct connections between education and their own futures. The idea differs from traditional vocational schools in that the schools remain essentially...
School districts are not responding to charter schools with swift, dramatic changes, according to a study released by Policy Analysis for California Education, a university-based research consortium. A majority of districts in which the independent public schools have been established...
High school seniors often want to cruise to the finish line of spring graduation rather than push to the end. Learn what some schools are doing to offer college-level courses, senior research projects, internships, and independent study to keep them...
