TOPIC

College access & postsecondary success

College Access and postsecondary success

Preparation for college and career is critical for both individual and societal economic prosperity. Yet, educational attainment is not sufficient to meet economic demand and educational opportunities are not equally distributed. State policymakers and education leaders across the state are working to increase opportunity and improve student outcomes.

At the heart of these efforts is better alignment of California’s K–12 education system with higher education systems and the labor market to ensure successful transitions for young adults between high school and postsecondary pursuits.

In this topic area, PACE researchers investigate students’ educational trajectories and the state and local endeavors to decrease disparities in access to educational opportunities and improve student success in college and career.

Recent Topic Publications
Constructing a Good Fit: Improvement Team Leads’ Perspectives on Fitting Improvement Work to Their Sites
Improvement Team Leads’ Perspectives on Fitting Improvement Work to Their Sites
This chapter in an edited book focuses on the work of two improvement network hubs in California as they tried to support participating districts and schools to improve the proportion of students “on-track” for post-secondary success. California has…
A–G Resource Guide
Insights and Strategies From Exemplar School Districts
Addressing Inequities in College Preparatory Course-Taking
Completing the A–G course sequence is the standard pathway to college for California high school graduates; however, findings indicate that there is substantial variation in A–G enrollment and completion rates across student subgroups and schools.…
Innovating High School Math Courses through K12/Higher Education Partnerships
Despite clear evidence of the benefits of taking advanced math courses in high school, access to and success in these courses are not experienced equally. Only about half of California high school seniors enroll in an advanced math course, and…