In the last three decennia, many governments have introduced market mechanisms in education. They have done so by enhancing parental choice and encouraging school competition, through policies like abolishing catchment areas, creating voucher programmes and setting up charter schools. These market mechanisms have given rise to fierce debates in…

The growth in California's student population currently exceeds the peak years of the baby boom generation by more than one million students. This increase, combined with deferred maintenance, has created a strain on the state's educational facilities. An analysis of this predicament is presented in this bulletin. It describes why California needs…

Using data from a survey of private schools in California, this article concludes that a proposed large-scale voucher program would not significantly affect public school enrollment. Limited transportation, academic qualifications, socioeconomic status, and English proficiency will affect private school access. Only 1-5% of California's public…

This report details inequities in how preschool and child care opportunities are distributed among 4 California counties, across communities situated within these counties, and among the state's 200 localities with the most families receiving welfare benefits. Analysis of uniform data on the state's 8,831 licensed preschools and 30,730 family…

As part of a feasibility study for postsecondary alternatives in California, this report details what the project staff learned through first- hand conversations with California citizens about their educational hopes and the obstacles they face in seeking to realize their aspirations. Concentrating on seven diverse communities throughout the…

This study examines California's prospects for meeting the 1960 Master Plan goal of providing access to public undergraduate education to every Californian who could benefit from it in the context of the state's future demographic and fiscal environment. The study uses a dynamic simulation model to estimate the target level of education envisioned…

A report by the executive director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission addresses the state's capacity to accommodate demand for postsecondary enrollment through the beginning of the 21st century. The major population trends likely to occur in California during that period are outlined. The planning process now being coordinated…

One of a series of reports on lifelong learning in California, this report reviews the concept of educational brokering and presents the proceedings of the 1977 conference, "The Role of Nonaccredited Contracting Agencies in California Postsecondary Education." An educational broker is an organization or an individual serving, for a fee,…

This report presents the recommendations of the California Postsecondary Education Commission based on a study on educational equity in the state. Six individual installments of the educational equity study were published as stand-alone reports between June 1997 and June 1998. The seventh and concluding installment presents a set of seven…

This paper provides recent information concerning policies in other states relevant to California's efforts to direct undergraduate students toward in-state private colleges and universities or out-of-state institutions, thus relieving the enrollment burden on the state's publicly supported institutions. The primary database for the analysis is a…

This study presents California's recent history of public revenue funding for elementary and secondary education and projects the state's educational and fiscal needs for the next five years. California has experienced a roller-coaster pattern in funding support since 1978, the year of Proposition 13. School financing declined from a position of…

Under the Master Plan of 1960, California was the first state to provide universal access to higher education for all high school graduates. Despite great success at all levels, higher education in California is now facing a crisis. This report makes nine broad recommendations for action concerning a new plan for California education to be created…

Under the Master Plan of 1960, California was the first state to provide universal access to higher education for all high school graduates. Despite great success at all levels, higher education in California is now facing a crisis. National and state-wide recessions have reduced resources while potential enrollment is sharply increasing from…

Prompted by a California State University trustee resolution in 1985 to offer an independent doctoral degree in education, this report aims to determine whether additional doctoral programs in educational administration are needed in California. It examines the history and professional uses of doctorates in education, and surveys perceptions of…

As the public segments of postsecondary education begin a second decade of efforts to achieve equal educational opportunity in California, plans are announced in this report to expand opportunities for ethnic minorities, women, and low-income students. The commission stresses the need for intersegmental cooperation in working toward this goal.…