A proposal to help find spots for Cal State applicants who are shut out of the most popular campuses passed a key committee Tuesday at the trustees meeting in Long Beach. The trustees are expected to vote Wednesday on the plan to chip away at a problem so serious that about 32,000 eligible applicants were […]
California faces a shortage of highly educated workers. Specifically, economic projections to 2030 show that about two in five jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree, while demographic projections suggest that only about one in three Californians will attain this level of education. This shortfall equates to 1.1 million workers. To close the gap, […]
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to link over $3 billion in funding for California’s community colleges to the number of low-income students they enroll and to student outcomes in general is coming under increasing scrutiny — and is likely to face more in the coming months. Currently California’s community colleges receive nearly all of what are […]
Students, parents, and lawmakers often express concern about tuition increases at California’s public universities. But tuition is not the only college cost that has been rising. Students also pay fees that cover many non-instructional costs, and between 2013 and 2016, student fees increased an average of 21% at both the UC and CSU systems, even […]
PHS is one of the first high schools in the nation to launch a truck driving program for students. Eight seniors began the yearlong program in August and the seven who remain are getting 180 hours of instruction in driving skills, safety standards and inspections. . . . The Patterson Unified School District secured technical […]
In June San Francisco’s school board wants voters to approve a new “parcel tax” of $298 per parcel of real property. They claim the money — $50 million per year — is needed to provide teachers with living wages. That’s a worthy objective but it’s not the real reason behind the proposed tax. The real reason is buried deep […]
The friction around the best path forward after high school is popping up around the country as anxious students and families try to figure out how to pay for four years of college. At the same time, business groups and state governments make the case for a free or much cheaper vocational education. The conversation […]
Although the number of math and science teachers has increased in the state, there are fewer of them than in other core subjects. As a result, the average class size in math and science at all levels is larger in California than in other states. For instance, the average class size for high school science […]
While California’s economy rapidly adds higher-paying jobs, millions of Californians fail to qualify for these opportunities because they lack the required credential or degree. With lagging college completion rates, too few Californians can benefit from the state’s projected economic growth, and many employers look out of state and overseas for the right talent. A looming […]
The union that represents Los Angeles school cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodians announced Monday that it will hold a vote to authorize a strike. If the workers approve a strike, a walkout would not be inevitable, but union leaders could call one without returning to the membership for permission. The move could provide more […]
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s $37-million Cafe L.A. project at first seemed like a stunning success. In 18 months, 64 school cafeterias were gutted and transformed so that students could be served faster — and with healthier options. Then the district’s auditors looked at the books. They concluded the construction came at a high […]
California’s high school graduation rates have increased significantly in recent years, but the percentage of those students who complete their college education continues to lag, with long-term implications for the state’s future. That is the stark conclusion of a new report by California Competes, a policy and advocacy organization focusing on the state’s system of […]
California will continue to lag behind other states in providing enough child care slots and diverse preschool options for all its nearly 2.5 million children under the age of 5 until it develops a more unified system that provides affordable care and makes it easier for families to enroll. That is a key recommendation in […]
However, school reform and civil rights groups have questioned whether the extra money is really being effectively spent on the targeted children, and have criticized Brown’s hands-off attitude toward monitoring spending and its results. Most independent examinations of LCFF, including an exhaustive dive by CALmatters.org, have found little or no discernible closure of the achievement […]
Californians eagerly await Congressional implementation of President Trump’s recently released infrastructure proposal, a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild our country’s neglected bridges, dams, schools, highways, streets and public transit. Even with funding, a lack of skilled construction workers presents a serious barrier to success. California’s lack of investment in career and technical education programs has […]