Publications

Expanding Access, Creating Options: How Linked Learning Pathways Can Mitigate Barriers to College and Career Access in Schools and Districts

How well are California high schools meeting the challenge of preparing students for success in college and career? Over the past five years, the Education Trust–West (ETW) has examined tens of thousands of high school transcripts in an effort to answer this question. Our research has led us to two primary findings. First, levels of college readiness are far too low across the board, and especially low for low-income students and students of color. Second, students who are unprepared for college are also unlikely to be meaningfully prepared for careers.

Publication date: 
March 21 2013
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The Cost of Opportunity: Access to College Financial Aid in California

Across California, there are high school students dreaming of being the first in their families to attend college. For these students and families, college presents a life-changing opportunity. Many of these students have to work to help pay household bills, and tuition for a four-year college seems out of reach. They may know that financial aid is an option, but often the application process feels daunting. Some worry that applying for grants or loans will put their parents’ legal status in jeopardy.

Publication date: 
February 28 2013

At a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Picture of How African-American Youth Fare in L.A. County Schools

Nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, too many of California’s African-American students languish in a separate and unequal education system. If current trends continue, only 1 in 20 of today’s African-American kindergartners will go on to graduate from high school and complete a degree at a four-year California university. Indeed, on nearly every measure of educational opportunity, the dream of equal access to a high-quality education is not a reality for African-American students and their families in California.

Publication date: 
February 25 2013

The Education Trust-West 2013 Policy Agenda

The year 2013 will be a pivotal one for education reform in California. In the coming months, our education leaders will be asked to grapple with efforts to improve teacher evaluation; the state’s education finance system; the implementation of new, more rigorous standards; and district and school accountability systems.

Each of these decisions represents an opportunity to further the larger goal of educational equity. Our state leaders, including dozens of newly elected legislators, have a chance to transform the lives of our students and build a foundation of prosperity for California’s next generation. They cannot achieve these goals without fundamentally changing the education trajectories of the students of color and low-income students who comprise the vast majority of our student population.

Publication date: 
February 21 2013

Catching up to the Core: Common Sense Strategies for Accelerating Access to the Common Core in California

The new Education Trust—West report, Catching up to the Core: Common Sense Strategies for Accelerating Access to the Common Core in California, finds that California has fallen far behind other states and even local school districts in implementing the new English Language Arts and Math CCSS. This lack of progress will leave millions of California students trailing their peers in other states, two years before new assessments aligned with the Common Core are expected to come online. 

The report profiles best practices for implementing the CCSS in other states and school districts, including some in California. It highlights promising work in teacher professional development, instructional materials, technology, and alignment with systems of higher education, particularly in teacher preparation.

The report concludes with common sense recommendations for California policymakers. These include improving public understanding of the Common Core, expanding educator professional development, aligning instructional materials, and addressing technology infrastructure and capacity. 

Publication date: 
December 10 2012

Tipping the Scale Towards Equity: Making Weighted Student Formula Work for California’s Highest-Need Students

California’s education funding system is fundamentally unfair, with large gaps in funding between the wealthiest and the lowest-income school districts, as well as between schools within districts.

In 2012, Governor Brown sought to correct the funding gaps between districts by shifting to a weighted student formula (WSF).

Publication date: 
October 25 2012

Infographic & Presentation: California's Education System: Is it Fair?

A startling new infographic and presentation from The EducationTrust—West (ETW) exposes previously hidden gaps in California’s college and career pipeline, impacting more than four million students. Combining new data from the U.S.

Publication date: 
August 28 2012

Repairing the Pipeline: A Look at the Gaps in California's High School to College Transition

California will need an additional one million college graduates by 2025. To meet this challenge, California’s college and career pipeline must serve as a true pathway to post-secondary success for all California’s students. New data from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) highlight major gaps in college opportunity for the low-income students and students of color who are the majority of California’s student population. Fortunately, these data also reveal high schools throughout California that are making progress in closing these opportunity gaps. To read more, click here.  

Publication date: 
June 19 2012

Advancing Educational Equity and Excellence in California: The Education Trust—West 2012 Policy Agenda

This year, 2012, promises to be a pivotal one for California’s students. From Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to reform our education finance system, to competing ballot initiatives to raise more funds for schools, to efforts to change the school accountability system, our elected officials will grapple with a host of high-stakes decisions with long-term impact.

At risk is our state’s economic future. To meet the demands of our economy, California will need one million more college graduates by 2025 than our education system is on track to produce. We cannot achieve this target without dramatically expanding college and career opportunities for the students of color and low-income students who are the overwhelming majority in California’s classrooms. As state leaders make critical choices about the future of our education system, they must correct the inequities that have led to unacceptable gaps in opportunity and achievement.

Publication date: 
April 6 2012

EQUITY ALERT: 2011 California District Report Cards

Just as students receive report cards that measure their performance and progress in school, The Education Trust – West develops annual report cards that grade California school districts on how well they serve their Latino, African-American, and low-income students. This brief summarizes the findings of our second annual district report cards.

Publication date: 
March 22 2012