California Competes

Thanks Ashley Mowreader and Inside Higher Ed for uplifting critical conversations on how institutions support students during academic challenges. #ICYMI: Key recommendations from our research include: 💡Renaming “academic probation” to “academic notice.” 💡Revising notification letters to use strengths-based language; 💡Offering a workshop or class that covers various skills and resources; and 💡Establishing a statewide academic probation task force to examine these policies systematically. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/grHvWXmp

California’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education was a beacon of progress in its time, but in today’s society and economy, it increasingly reinforces inequities between Californians. It’s time for a radical paradigm shift. Released today, our new white paper proposes a reimagined vision for the Master Plan to better leverage higher education as a tool for social and economic mobility. Written in celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA, the paper is part of a series envisioning the future of education and civil rights in California. Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/ghxYXz4N

Tomorrow, California Competes CEO Su Jin Jez will present a bold vision for reimagining of California’s Master Plan for Higher Education at The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA’s research and policy briefing, A Civil Rights Agenda for California's Next Quarter Century. In celebration of the Civil Rights Project’s 25th anniversary, she and other education leaders will share insights on the future of education and civil rights in California. We hope to see you there. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gXqZ84M5

Need guidance on how to support students’ transitions into meaningful careers? Check out our memo that offers six promising practices drawn from our partnership with LA community colleges and county leaders to foster a culture of career readiness: ✅Communicate with students early and often about career readiness;  ✅Engage faculty in career readiness efforts;  ✅Strengthen employer partnerships;  ✅Promote paid work experiences for students;  ✅Improve connections between colleges and the county; and  ✅Collaborate across colleges to better meet the needs of residents. Explore these strategies and see how to apply them for your institution or community: https://lnkd.in/g-fb5gxv

This new pilot provides $1000/month guaranteed income for pre-health students in LA community colleges to help them persist, graduate, and find jobs in the field at higher rates, Sara Weissman at Inside Higher Ed reports. The innovative initiative addresses workforce gaps while supporting student success. Learn about current state efforts to advance higher education-workforce alignment: https://lnkd.in/gddRjpME

This Thanksgiving, we’re highlighting the critical work the state has left to do to advance equitable education and workforce outcomes for Native American and Alaska Native Californians. Key insights from our research show that they: ➡️ Are less likely to enroll in college than the state average (57% vs. 66%). ➡️ Are only half as likely to attain a bachelor’s degree as the state average (17% vs. 35%). ➡️ Are less likely to earn a living wage than the state average (45% vs. 64%). https://lnkd.in/gAY-8wA5 California Competes’s work to understand and strengthen students’ college and career pathways is a step toward shared prosperity for these communities. Explore the full data from our Postsecondary to Prosperity Dashboard to learn more: https://lnkd.in/giuXfnFH We hope you have a restful and mindful holiday.

#ICYMI: We learned from comebacker students (those who paused their college journey and later returned) that academic probation policies and practices pose barriers to re-enrollment and college completion: https://lnkd.in/gVaZ_Ard So, we dug deeper into how to address these challenges and outlined four steps institutions can take to reform academic probation to promote student success. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/grHvWXmp

California Competes Senior Researcher David Radwin and The California Alliance for Student Parent Success Advisory Committee Member Krystle P. recently presented at the Student Senate for California Community Colleges’ Fall Advocacy Academy. They shared key findings from our Student Parent Almanac (https://lnkd.in/g7YTRfwg) and how the data guided our work to advance policy change, which ultimately led to the enactment of #AB2458, the GAINS for Student Parents Act. Now onto this new law’s implementation—learn more: https://lnkd.in/gM9H_G3q

Greetings from our CaliforniaAttain! retreat! Together with our partners at Shasta College and California State University-Sacramento, we’re setting next years’ goals and plans for re-engaging adult learners back into college and onto completion. Learn more about the CaliforniaAttain! partnership: https://lnkd.in/ea79kKSm

“It’s in [California’s] best interests and our economic interests that we do a better job of coordinating.” #TBT to another installment of our 10th Anniversary Interview Series, this one with CEO and President of College Futures Foundation, Eloy Oakley, where he shares insights on improving higher education coordination to drive workforce alignment and innovation. Watch the recording and read the transcript here: https://lnkd.in/gHrZp4c5