This report summarizes efforts to align California's K-12 and postsecondary education systems to address disparities in educational attainment. Based on district leaders' interviews and quantitative data, the report finds that rigorous academic preparation is crucial to college success, and that participation and performance on college admissions exams are key indicators of college readiness. However, substantial inequality exists across all measures of readiness, and district leaders emphasize the importance of engaging families and the community in supporting postsecondary success.

In this report we explore the patterns in mathematics course-taking among California public high school seniors. We describe what courses students are enrolled in and how course participation varies by key student characteristics, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and performance level on the state’s 11th grade assessments. We also explore course-taking patterns for students eligible for California’s public four-year colleges—California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC), and for applicants and admitted students at the CSU and UC.

Given the importance of a college degree for both individual and societal economic prosperity, policymakers and educators are focused on strengthening the path to college beyond college entry. In this report, we synthesize the existing literature on four factors key to educational attainment—aspirations and beliefs, academic preparation, knowledge and information, and fortitude and resilience—and the implications of each.

College affordability was ranked as the second most important education policy issue in the 2019 PACE/USC Rossier poll. Governor Newsom’s budget proposal and several bills in the state legislature reflect this concern. The diverse geography and socioeconomic status in CA demand local context consideration for designing effective reforms. Variation in concern over college costs is discussed by county and income and racial/ethnic groups. Proper evaluation and implementation of college promise programs and equity initiatives are suggested as fruitful avenues for addressing college affordability.

This brief discusses the challenges of fragmented and misaligned public education and proposes intersegmental collaborations as a solution. Effective collaboration between high school and college, between higher education systems, and between education and economic development sectors can increase student success. Bridging research, policy, and practice is crucial for the sustainability of these collaborations and to improve outcomes for students. The brief provides lessons for effective collaboration and highlights opportunities for bridging research, policy, and practice.

This report investigates the predictive power of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC), high school GPA (HSGPA), and SAT scores on first-year college outcomes at California State University and University of California campuses. The assessments' relationships with early college outcomes differ by key student subgroups, and HSGPA is found to be a stronger predictor than SBAC or SAT for first-year college GPA and second-year persistence at CSU.

With a new governor, state superintendent and legislators in Sacramento and a diminished federal role in education, there is an opportunity for California’s leaders to take stock of recent educational reforms and make necessary improvements. There are also a host of new and looming issues in K-12 and higher education. As California’s leaders confront these and other issues, where do California voters, including parents, stand on education and education policy? The newest edition of the USC Rossier/PACE Poll shares voter perspectives on a wide range of education issues.

This report details where California public high school students attend college and how college attendance and destinations vary by county. The report was created to fill the information gap on the college destinations of high school graduates in California. The data set assembled includes three recent cohorts of public high school students matched with college enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse.

Public education in California shows progress, yet challenges remain in providing equal opportunities for all students. Poverty rates persist, and schools are highly segregated by race, ethnicity, family income, and language. While student outcomes are improving, significant achievement gaps exist, and California students perform worse than their peers in other states. Career technical education programs provide opportunities for diverse students, but there are gaps in tracking students' educational trajectories.

California needs a longitudinal data system to improve student outcomes. Meanwhile, regional partnerships between education institutions and community organizations are using data to improve outcomes. A guide was created to help leaders with data sharing and use, and presents the components of effective regional efforts around data sharing and use, with tools to dive deeper into specific factors within each component. The guide aims to serve as a framework, tool for reflection, and networking resource for intersegmental leaders.

California's K-12 public school districts, institutions of higher education, and community organizations are collaborating to improve educational and labor market outcomes. This Resource Guide, based on a qualitative research project, provides intersegmental partnerships with tools to support the development, planning, and monitoring of their data practices. The guide includes critical components of effective strategies for data sharing and use, and can be used as a framework, reflection tool, and networking resource.

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides base funding and grants for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth, and allows local school systems to allocate resources as they see fit. The LCFFRC conducted a survey of 350 California superintendents to understand their experiences with and views of the law. Results inform policymakers and indicate areas where changes may be needed. The survey sample included districts of varying sizes and proportions of unduplicated students.

This report analyzes the predictive value of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, high school GPA, and SAT scores on early college outcomes for California State University and University of California, Davis students. The study examines differences among student subgroups, including race/ethnicity and socioeconomic disadvantage, and provides insights into how well the Smarter Balanced Assessment measures up to other commonly used assessments for predicting college success.

California's education system is fragmented, with separate governance structures and funding sources for K-12, community colleges, and universities. To address educational issues, intersegmental partnerships are needed to promote collaboration among the different segments. Local partnerships can strengthen alignment in standards and expectations between K-12 and post-secondary education and help students progress through the system more efficiently.

The majority of community college students are required to take remedial math courses that can delay their progress through college, disproportionately affecting African American and Latino students. High school grades may be better predictors of success in college math courses than placement tests, and about a quarter of students placed into community college remedial math courses could have succeeded in college-level courses. New assessments and placement practices at the community college level, along with new K-12 Common Core-aligned tests, may change the face of remedial placement in CA.

The traditional algebra-based math curriculum, thought to be necessary for college success, has led to increased enrollment in remedial math classes. Some are promoting alternatives such as statistics and quantitative reasoning for non-algebra intensive fields, with promising early results. However, universities are wary of these alternatives, creating a dilemma for transfer students. California's history of math reform makes it a particularly salient issue in the state.

The traditional U.S. math curriculum, consisting of two years of algebra and one of geometry, is being called into question as new technologies and evolving disciplines highlight the importance of statistics, modeling, computer science, and quantitative reasoning. The emphasis is shifting to differentiated "math pathways" with distinct trajectories based on students' goals, in order to develop the capacity to apply math skills to solve problems in various contexts. These decisions will impact the academic opportunities of millions of students nationally.

California can increase college readiness for community college-bound students by using existing tools such as the California High School Exit Exam and Academic Performance Index to identify and provide remediation for 10th-graders who need it, as well as reward high schools for encouraging all students to enroll in appropriate Grade 12 mathematics. This policy brief explains the benefits of these changes alongside the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced assessments.

This article discusses California's Early Assessment Program (EAP) to improve alignment between K-12 and postsecondary education. EAP provides high school students with information about their academic preparedness for college and encourages teachers to teach for college readiness. Findings show that EAP participation predicts college course placement but few students are ready for college-level work based on the exam. EAP can better serve community college campuses in placing students in developmental coursework.

Preparing every high school graduate for postsecondary education and fulfilling work is the goal of common core standards. Career readiness and college readiness share many of the same skills, knowledge, and dispositions. Being ready for professional life requires additional transferable skills to support success throughout a lifetime of changing circumstances. The importance of transferable skills is emphasized by many groups and observers.

California’s school finance system has been criticized for being irrational, inequitable, and inefficient. The proposed Local Control Funding Formula aims to simplify funding and give local leaders more control, but raises questions about balancing transparency with improved outcomes, providing meaningful incentives, and effectively allocating funds.

This report commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Getting Down to Facts project, which sought to provide a thorough and reliable analysis of the critical challenges facing California’s education system as the necessary basis for an informed discussion of policy changes aimed at improving the performance of California schools and students. The report focuses on the four key issues that received emphasis in the Getting Down to Facts studies: governance, finance, personnel, and data systems.

The Early Assessment Program (EAP) is a national model for increasing the number of students who are prepared for college and careers upon graduating high school. It has been recognized by two national consortia as the model for designing new high school assessments aligned with Common Core State Standards. The report highlights the EAP's key features and potential to strengthen coherence and alignment in California's educational system, reviews research on its impact on student success, and suggests modifications to increase its value to students and educators.

Chaffey College in California's Inland Empire is renowned for its "risk tolerant change-oriented culture" and impressive student support programs, which have led to exceptional outcomes for Chaffey students. In this working paper, researchers visited Chaffey and other California colleges to examine the quality of instruction in basic skills and the integration of student support services. Chaffey's success story highlights the importance of developing a broad structure necessary for success both in developmental education and for all students.

This paper examines basic skills education in California Community Colleges and the heterogeneity of students in developmental classrooms. Some students simply need to brush up on existing skills while others have learning disabilities or mental health issues. The paper argues that colleges need to be further differentiated to respond to the variety of student needs and offers suggestions for doing so.