Publications

California’s education system has long failed to meet the needs of the low-income students and students of color who are now a vast majority of our state’s student population. To close persistent achievement gaps, we must dramatically improve the learning outcomes of our highest-need students by leveraging proven strategies such as increasing the amount of time students spend in
school.

Yet, for the last two years, California’s policymakers have made the inequitable decision to systematically reduce the amount of instructional time that school districts are required to provide. Given that California has some of the widest achievement gaps and lowest student performance in the nation, reducing learning time in our schools should not be an option.

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.

As 2011 begins, California faces significant challenges that threaten the future of its students. California ranks in the bottom 15 percent of the nation in reading and math on national assessments, and wide opportunity and achievement gaps persist in our schools. Governor Jerry Brown’s new budget projects a $25 billion shortfall and proposes significant cuts to the state’s universities and community colleges. While the governor seeks to spare K-12 education from cuts of more than $2 billion, spending levels will still fall in 2011-12 as one-time federal stimulus money dries up.

At the same time, there is reason for hope. Governor Brown and the new legislature have the potential to usher in an era of change in Sacramento, removing the political gridlock that has stalled passage of key education reforms. As the most diverse state in the nation, one in which students of color make up 73 percent of California public schools, California is well positioned to leverage its great linguistic and cultural diversity when competing in an increasingly global economy. And with public universities and a technology sector that are the envy of the nation, California must be at the forefront of producing the next generation of this nation’s leaders and innovators. Now is the time to leverage California’s assets and push for change that will accelerate the pace of progress in the state’s public schools. The status quo is no longer acceptable. Therefore, we must focus on reforms in four critical areas:

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.