College and Career Readiness

Recent projections suggest that California will face a shortage of one million bachelor’s degree holders for the workforce by 2025. Further, 41 percent of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree, but only 35 percent of adults in California will hold that credential. Clearly, the shortage of college graduates in our state is a critical issue that we cannot afford to ignore.

In a 21st century economy, access to and success in college and career require the same foundation: (1) strong academic preparation via access to rigorous curriculum at all levels of the education pipeline, and (2) statewide policies that ensure all students are given the support needed to successfully reach their college and career goals.

However, far too frequently, students of color and students in poverty are systematically denied access to rigorous coursework and continue to be adversely and disproportionately affected by policies and practices that discourage the successful completion of their college and career aspirations. Our goal is to ensure that all California students have access to a rigorous curriculum, as well as college and career-ready opportunities, from K-12 through the higher education pipeline.

 

Our Recommendations:

1. Establish College-Preparatory Graduation Standards. California must strengthen its graduation requirements so that its standards meet the high expectations set out by the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and so that all students graduate with the courses needed to enter California’s public universities. In 21 states across the country, and the District of Columbia, students are already required to complete a college-preparatory curriculum to earn a diploma, in recognition that a rigorous course of study is necessary for both college and career success. California must continue its commitment to the CCSS and raise its expectations so that all students graduate college-ready. Until California’s default graduation requirements are strong enough to make a student eligible for the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) systems, we must continue to expand access to the “A-G” course sequence required by our state’s public university systems.

2. Evaluate the Effectivenes of Career Preparation Programs. California’s high schools are increasingly offering an array of programs and courses aimed at preparing students for career success. We must evaluate whether investments in career pathway programs that are inclusive of Career Technical Education courses, such as the California Partnership Academies (CPAs), Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCPs), and Linked Learning  are contributing to positive college and career outcomes, particularly for low-income students and students of color. In addition, we need to evaluate whether these programs have the unintended, negative consequence of tracking low-income students and students of color into less rigorous courses.

3. Strengthen Higher Education Accountability. We need to hold higher education institutions (e.g., community colleges, the UC and CSU systems, private institutions, and for-profit institutions) accountable for ensuring that all students, including students of color and students in poverty, successfully complete their post-secondary goals. The state should adopt funding models that tie funding to evidence-based milestones of student success.

 


Publications on College and Career Readiness

Diploma Matters

 

In Bookstores Now


Diploma Matters:  A Field Guide for College and Career Readiness (Jossey-Bass) is written for practitioners who believe fully that the K-12 experience should prepare all students equally well for the full array of opportunities that await them after high school.  Whatever they choose, high school graduates should be equipped with the knowledge and skills that will make them successful in both college and careers. 

This field guide is intended to help state leaders, district superintendents, principals, and other site and district leaders gain a deep understanding of what it takes to ensure that students from all backgrounds have access to a rigorous course of study that leads to college and career readiness. It can also be a useful resource in the higher education arena as part of teacher preparation and administrator leadership programs. Readers will find a "toolkit" developed by The Education Trust-West.  The tools in the kit help school leaders and teachers examine the current high school experience (Educational Opportunity Audit), and then develop a detailed action plan (Blueprint) to transform curriculum so that their students are ready for college and work. 

Publication date: 
August 2 2011
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Unlocking Doors and Expanding Opportunities

To meet California’s demand for a more educated workforce, high schools must dramatically increase the number of students who earn diplomas and graduate with meaningful preparation. Yet disturbingly, few students graduate with the college-ready coursework needed to access our state’s public university system. This is especially true for low-income students and students of color, who are also disproportionately tracked into less rigorous “career education” courses.

Publication date: 
July 25 2011

ETW Statement on Ed Trust’s For-Profit Colleges Report; Too Many of California’s Low-Income & Students of Color Left with High Debt, No Diploma

(OAKLAND, CA)  The Education Trust—West issued the following statement today regarding the release of a new report on for-profit colleges and universities by its national office, The Education Trust:

In California, for-profit institutions are growing at a rapid rate in a time when state support for higher education is declining.  In opening their doors to—and often directly targeting—disadvantaged students, these schools offer the promise of college and career opportunities. But how effectively are they fulfilling students’ dreams of a great career, and at what cost?

In The Education Trust’s newly released report entitled, ‘Subprime Opportunity: The Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities,’ the sharp increase in enrollment at for-profit universities is clearly presented.  The number of students enrolled nationwide in for-profit colleges has increased 236 percent over the past 10 years. 

For-profits serve a large proportion of students from California’s underserved communities and communities of color.  In 2008, 29 percent of students in California for-profits were from low-income backgrounds, and 31 percent were African-American, Latino, or Native American.  While for-profit institutions have the potential to provide more access to higher education, the report illustrates a crisis in lost opportunities.  For-profit graduation rates are appallingly low.  Only 27 percent of first-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students in California, who enroll full-time in for-profit institutions actually graduated after six years.

The Path to College: Building Equity and Rigor for All

Ensuring educational equity and creating rigorous coursework for all students daunts most districts. Oakland Unified School District recently reset the bar for graduation to match college entrance requirements in California. Learn how OUSD is partnering with The Education Trust to assess institutional barriers impeding student academic achievement. School counselor-led task forces identified and are changing district policies and practices that hinder academic achievement.

Presented: 
November 4 2010
At: 
2010 Ed Trust National Conference

EQUITY ALERT: As White House Convenes Summit on Community Colleges, New Equity Alert Reveals Too Few California Students Transfer to Four-Year Institutions

(OAKLAND, CA)  As the White House convenes the first-ever Summit on Community Colleges today, a new Equity Alert by The Education Trust—West reveals that an inexcusably low number of California community college students actually transfer to a four-year institution in order to earn a bachelor’s degree.  The Equity Alert, titled California Community Colleges: Lost in the Path to a Bachelor’s Degree, focuses on a cohort of those students who showed intent to transfer to a four-year college. According to the findings, after two years, only 6 percent of students system-wide who have shown an intent to transfer to a four-year institution were actually able to do so.  In particular, the rates of transfer for African-American and Latino students are unconscionably low. Only 4 percent of African-American students and 3 percent of Latino students who show intent to transfer actually transfer after two years.

San Jose Unified School District A Case Study: Preparing Students for College and Career

School districts across the country increasingly are shattering the myth that some students can’t learn as much as others. Take the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD). Here, educators are proving that students from all backgrounds can access rigorous curricula. For more than a decade, the district has embraced college readiness as its mission.

Publication date: 
January 15 2010

A Guide for Hispanic Parents: How to Help Your Child Prepare for College and Career*

Why your child needs to prepare for college and a career, how to tell if your child’s school has college-ready academic standards, the special hurdles facing Hispanic students, and how parents can be effective advocates for their children.

Publication date: 
January 7 2010
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San Marcos High School Educational Opportunity Audit

Dr. Linda Murray, Dr. Tami Pearson & Phyllis Hart
San Marcos Unified School District
San Marcos, CA
June 29, 2009

Publication date: 
June 29 2009
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Konawaena High School Educational Opportunity Audit Findings

Dr. Linda Murray, Dr. Tami Pearson & Phyllis Hart
Konawaena High School
San Marcos, CA
June 29, 2009

Publication date: 
May 21 2009
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Kea'au High School Educational Opportunity Audit Findings

Dr. Tami Pearson & Phyllis Hart

Publication date: 
May 19 2009
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