More and more of California’s 116 community colleges — struggling to remake themselves under pressure from declining enrollment — are venturing into higher education territory traditionally reserved for four-year institutions, offering bachelor’s degrees that lead to careers in high-demand fields...

A trio of resources recently published by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) — a policy brief “Addressing Inequities in College Preparatory Course-Taking,” a report Inequality in Academic Preparation for College and a resource guide Insights and Strategies from Exemplar...

Two Whittier Union high schools have been recognized for their success in guiding students toward completing rigorous coursework required to attend a California four-year university, significantly narrowing the achievement and equity gap, and providing these students an opportunity to have...

Students from marginalized groups often question whether or not they should be in our classes and disciplines. In this episode, Michal Kurlaender joins us to discuss an easy to implement intervention that faculty can use to improve retention and student...

Chancellor Carol Christ and several other top UC Berkeley officials say the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today, that public and private universities cannot use race as a factor in admitting students, is regrettable. They warned the decision will reduce opportunities...

For decades, selective U.S. colleges and universities have considered, among other factors, whether applicants are from underrepresented minority groups, including Black, Hispanic and Native American. For just as long, critics of affirmative action have questioned whether race-conscious admissions policies are...

In mid-April, two powerful California lawmakers urged the state’s community college leaders in a letter to pause part of a pilot that allows these institutions to offer bachelor’s degrees. Fifteen California community colleges have offered four-year degrees under the pilot...

As California’s community colleges add more baccalaureate degrees to their offerings, it could help improve racial equity in the state’s higher education systems, according to a new study. The study by UCLA calls for a “strategic expansion” of baccalaureate degrees...

Innovating High School Math Through K–12 and Higher Education Partnerships, a new report published by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), explores six partnerships between high school math specialists and university faculty working to increase equitable access to advanced math...

Community college baccalaureate programs in California can help more Black and Latino students earn bachelor’s degrees in a state that badly needs a more educated workforce, according to a new report. The Civil Rights Project at the University of California...

School districts may want to consider developing alternatives to traditional math-course sequences in order to better serve students and improve access to advanced math courses, according to a new report published by PACE.  Only half of all California high school...

In collaboration with EdInsights and UC Davis, a new PACE report and related infographic as well as a webinar on Monday, March 6th, at 12pm (PST) examine ways to improve math course-taking for high school students in California public schools...

Most newcomer students enter school with very low or beginning English language proficiency (ELP), but their language skills can develop rapidly under the right conditions, according to the first in a new series of briefs by Policy Analysis for California...

California’s system of 116 community colleges is closing in on the hiring of its new chancellor. Whoever takes the helm will immediately need to contend with declining enrollments, racial disparities in student outcomes and an uncertain fiscal future. And in...

Within the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic – which began to shut down much of the United States in March 2020 — California community college total enrollment decreased by 14%, according to a report from the UC Davis...

Earning college credit in high school can be a powerful tool for exposing students to universities and helping them get a leg up on tuition and earning a degree. But access to those courses remains uneven across California. In many...

UC Davis Graduate School of Education Professors Michal Kurlaender and Paco Martorell will lead a team of researchers recently awarded $3 million to assess pandemic recovery inside community colleges. The U.S. Department of Education-awarded grant will support three years of...

In October, UCLA education professor Cecilia Rios-Aguilar was appointed as Chair of the Department of Education at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. Rios-Aguilar formerly served as the school’s Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and is a...

The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences has awarded a $3 million research grant to a University of California, Davis-led research team to assess pandemic recovery efforts undertaken by the California Community Colleges. The goal of this three-year...

September is here and family households are abuzz with getting back to school for the fall. And despite the ever-lingering presence of COVID-19 in our lives, most children are going back to school in person and unmasked, restoring some sense...

A research team at UCLA has analyzed multiple data sources to assemble a comprehensive portrait of participation and outcomes in community college baccalaureate (CCB) degree programs across California. This relatively new public college pathway to a four-year degree marks a...

With university set to become a near-universal expectation for high-school graduates, the separate silos in which K12 and higher education have traditionally operated are increasingly being seen as barriers to equity. But what, realistically, can universities do to bridge the...

The recent debate over California’s proposed math framework is missing the forest for the trees. In its myopic focus on which advanced math courses best prepare high school students for their futures, it glosses over a glaring fact: More than...

UCLA Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Cecilia Rios-Aguilar has been appointed to California’s newly created 16-member Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee.  Rios-Aguilar was appointed to the Committee by California Speaker of the Assembly...