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State and System Policy

Use Drives Quality: Considering Data Quality Issues in California’s Pursuit of a Cradle-to-Career Data System

by Colleen Moore | Jan 2020 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Data, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

These briefs address important data quality considerations as California takes steps toward building a longitudinal student data system to support efforts to improve student progress and outcomes from preschool through higher education and into the workforce. It is an addendum to EdInsights’ four-part series examining California’s approach to student-level data, aimed at supporting the state’s Cradle-to-Career Data Workgroup and other stakeholders as they make critical decisions about the structure and function of this important resource for educators, researchers, and students and their families.

California’s Education Systems: A Sum of the Moving Parts

by Thad Nodine | Mar 2019 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

We commissioned this working paper for the California Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) because we had a hard time finding one current source…

INFOGRAPHIC: California’s Existing Student Data Framework vs. a Centralized Data Warehouse Model

by Colleen Moore | Dec 2018 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Data, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

Infographics developed for the series California Education Policy, Student Data and the Quest to Improve Student Progress comparing the difference between a California’s existing student data framework and a centralized data warehouse model.

California Education Policy, Student Data, and the Quest to Improve Student Progress

by Colleen Moore | Dec 2018 | Career and Technical Education, Data, K-12 Reform, Postsecondary Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

California Education Policy, Student Data and the Quest to Improve Student Progress examines California’s approach to gathering and sharing data on student progress through the public education system. The four reports in the series look into the perspectives of state and local leaders with regard to the responsibility for gathering and sharing statewide educational data across systems.

A Hunger for Information: California’s Options to Meet its Statewide Education Data Needs

by Colleen Moore and Kathy Reeves Bracco | Jun 2018 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Data, K-12 Reform, Postsecondary Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This brief is the final in a four-part series examining California’s approach to gathering and sharing longitudinal data about students’ progress through the state’s education systems.

“Get Me from point A to Point B:” Student Perspectives on Barriers to Timely Graduation at the California State University

by Colleen Moore and Connie Tan | Feb 2018 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, K-12 Reform, Postsecondary Reform, Regional Education Partnerships, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

Nearly all students enter the California State University system intending to graduate “on time,” and graduation rates are increasing systemwide. Currently, less than a quarter of incoming freshmen graduate within four years and a third of community college transfer students graduate in two years. This study investigates the personal and institutional obstacles that students experience as they navigate through college on the pathway to timely graduation.

Scaling Goodwill: The Challenges of Implementing Robust Education Data Sharing Through Regional Partnerships

by Colleen Moore and Kathy Reeves Bracco | Jan 2018 | Data, Postsecondary Reform, Regional Education Partnerships, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This brief is the third in a four-part series examining California’s approach to gathering and sharing longitudinal data about students’ progress through the state’s education systems.

Searching for Measures of College and Career Readiness: the Perspectives of Students, Teachers, Administrators and State and County Officials

by Julia Koppich, Daniel Humphrey, Andrea Venezia, Thad Nodine and Laura Jaeger with research support from Laura Tobben and Stacey Sural | Oct 2017 | College and Career Readiness and Success, K-12 Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report finds that students, teachers and local administrators embrace California’s commitment to college and career readiness (CCR), but have deep concerns about implementation.

From Scatterplot to Roadmap: New Efforts to Improve Student Success in the California State University

by Collen Moore, Cynthia Schrager and Kathy Reeves Bracco | Aug 2017 | Postsecondary Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report aims to provide campus and system leaders with a scan of the current state of reform within the CSU, together with contextual insight into the obstacles and possibilities for broader scale adoption of coordinated, systemic change.

California’s Maze of Student Information: Education Data Systems Leave Critical Questions Unanswered

by Colleen Moore, Kathy Reeves Bracco and Thad Nodine | Aug 2017 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Data, K-12 Reform, Postsecondary Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This brief is the second in a series that is examining California’s approach to gathering and sharing longitudinal data about students’ progress through state’s education systems.

Trial and Error: California Students Make the Best of an Improving Yet Complex Transfer Process

by Jodi Lewis, Kathy Reeves Bracco, Colleen Moore, Thad Nodine and Andrea Venezia | Nov 2016 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report examines the policies and practices that support student transfer from the California Community Colleges to the California State University through perspectives of students, administrators, and staff.

Gaps in Perspective: Who Should Be Responsible for Tracking Student Progress Across Education Institutions?

by Colleen Moore, Brock Grubb and Camille Esch | Nov 2016 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Data, Regional Education Partnerships, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This brief is the first in a series that will explore California’s approach to tracking, sharing, and using longitudinal data about student progress throughout the state’s education systems.

How the EWD Program Aims to Meet Workforce Needs

by Su Jin Jez and Sara Adan | Apr 2016 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, Regional Education Partnerships, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

After the California State Legislature reauthorized EWD in 2012, the CCCCO created a new structure for the program based on seven geographic regions. Each region selected five rapid-growth, high-demand industry/business sectors, and EWD services in each region were targeted to those sectors. This brief outlines perceived strengths and weaknesses of this restructured program and offers recommendations for improvement. The information is drawn from an evaluation of the EWD program, Aiming to Meet Workforce Needs: An Evaluation of the Economic and Workforce Development Program.

Roles for County Offices of Education to Support College and Career Readiness: Bridging California’s Vision with Local Implementation Needs

by Jodi Lewis | Mar 2016 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, Postsecondary Reform, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This brief focuses on the potential role of County Offices of Education (COEs) in bridging the state’s vision for college and career readiness with the implementation needs of local districts and schools. After summarizing the work of 10 COEs that are known for supporting districts in increasing college and career readiness, the brief raises questions and outlines concerns in this area for COEs across the state.

Aiming to Meet Workforce Needs: An Evaluation of the Economic and Workforce Development Program

by Su Jin Jez and Sara Adan | Feb 2016 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

California’s dynamic economy depends on having a large and skilled workforce; consequently, the state must continually support and refine efforts to provide workers with employer-valued competencies. Given the wide range of regional and state needs across this vast state, ensuring that the workforce has the training to keep up with labor market demands is difficult. The California Community Colleges’ (CCC) Economic and Workforce Development Program (EWD) aims to support the development of a workforce that will promote California’s economic development by connecting employers and educators. This report summarizes the findings of an independent evaluation conducted on EWD.

Maximizing Resources for Student Success by Reducing Time- and Credits-to-Degree

by Nancy Shulock and Jolene Koester | Jul 2014 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report addresses the problem of excessive time-to-degree for many students at public regional universities and examines strategies and practices leaders can use to support timely degree completion, especially for low-income students. The report provides many examples of institutions that have used these strategies, describes available evidence of their effectiveness, addresses potential challenges to implementation, and offers recommendations to university leaders interested in using these practices to improve timely graduation. This report is part of HCM Strategists’ Maximizing Resources for Student Success project that is aimed at making college more affordable.

From Community College to University: Expectations for California’s New Transfer Degrees

by Colleen Moore and Nancy Shulock | Mar 2014 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report, written by IHELP for the Public Policy Institute of California, analyzes the progress of the California Community Colleges’ “associate degrees for transfer” that were created as a result of state-enacted legislation in 2010. The degrees are designed to facilitate community college students’ admission to the California State University system and ease completion of a bachelor’s degree. The report finds the reform is leading to the development of clearer transfer pathways for students, although challenges remain, and offers recommendations for improving the implementation effort. Click here for the technical appendix.

Average Won’t Do: Performance Trends in California Higher Education as a Foundation for Action

by Colleen Moore, Connie Tan and Nancy Shulock | Jan 2014 | Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report is the fifth in a series analyzing California’s postsecondary performance in the areas of preparation, affordability, participation, completion, benefits and finance. The report provides a summary of trends in each performance area over the past decade and offers a breakdown of performance by region and race/ethnicity.

Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda – Part IV: Aligning Policy with Mission for Better Outcomes

by Nancy Shulock and Colleen Moore | Mar 2013 | College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report is the culmination of a four-part series on career technical education in the California Community Colleges. Based on a comprehensive analysis of potential barriers to more effective CTE, the report offers a set of suggestions for policy changes intended as a resource for the community college system as it continues to work to improve student success.

Career Opportunities: Career Technical Education and the College Completion Agenda – Part III: Promising CTE Policies from Across the States

by Nancy Shulock, Eric Chisholm, Colleen Moore and Latonya Harris | Sep 2012 | Career and Technical Education, College and Career Readiness and Success, Reports and Briefs, State and System Policy

This report is the third in the four-part series on career technical education in the California Community Colleges. It examines policies in other states that might offer helpful lessons for shaping CTE in California to better meet student and employer needs. It provides examples in the following five policy areas: degree and certificate programs offered; curriculum structure and delivery; high school – community college – workplace pathways; financing CTE – college and student costs; and accountability.