The California Community Colleges (CCC) system is the largest, most diverse public college system in the nation. As the system works to improve outcomes for all students, and in response to the racial climate in the United States during 2020, the system's Chancellor's Office released a call to action, asking all colleges to address systemic racism…

California's information about opportunities and outcomes in early learning and care, TK-12 schools, colleges, social services, and employment is currently disconnected. A longitudinal data system can be a powerful tool that allows California to identify bright spots, inequities, and roadblocks in our educational system, especially for students of…

In 2019, California passed legislation that called for the creation of its longitudinal data system, the Cradle-to-Career (C2C) Data System. Since then, the state has allocated $40.52 million in funding to support the agency's efforts. Given the substantial state investment and the potential for more, better, and accessible data to answer critical…

Access to higher education is a key determinant of lifetime earnings in the U.S. Since the 1960s, selective public universities have admitted students mostly on the basis of standardized test scores and other measures of academic preparation. In this dissertation, I employ quasi-experimental and structural research designs to investigate the…

The author reports on the ruling of a divided appellate court that held that the state law unconstitutionally made it harder for minorities to seek preferences than for other groups. The court struck down a voter-passed ban on the use of race-conscious admissions by Michigan's public colleges, holding that the measure had unconstitutionally put…

This article investigates California laws AB 537: The Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, and the recently enacted AB 394: Safe Place to Learn Act. Both demand that gender identity and sexual orientation be added to the lexicon of anti-harassment protection in public education. However, despite these progressive measures, schools…

Reviews a book suggesting that public education built on democratic values guarantees an equal education for students from all social, racial, and cultural groups. The book addresses how issues related to race, politics, and social class have clouded educational improvement efforts in California and describes classroom activities and teaching…

Evidence from two school systems whose ability grouping and tracking systems were scrutinized in 1993 in conjunction with school desegregation cases demonstrates how grouping practices can create within-school segregation that discriminates against black and Latino students. In both cases, grouping practices created a cycle of restricted…

This book tells the story of the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), which became Proposition 209. This initiative promised to end the use of race and gender preferences in state employment, contracting, and education. The complex motivations and maneuvers of the people, organizations, and political parties involved in the effort to end…

This fifth annual survey presents the racial and ethnic distribution of students and staff in California community colleges. The emphasis is changed from previous years, however, to include statistical data on the sex composition of students and staff, and progress by the Chancellor's Office and the colleges in affirmative action efforts,…

This publication details components of California's statewide plan for educating homeless children and youth. Revisions of the original plan were based on data derived from statewide surveys of school districts and shelters conducted in 1988, 1989, and 1990. The 1990 amendments to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 focus more…

Student financial aid is a major education industry. Three papers by educational professionals are presented as points of comparison. "Student Financial Aid Policies and Programs in Texas and California: A Comparison" (Stephen Janes) states that Texas and California have much in common; demographics in the two states are not radically…

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.…

This report reviews the scope and nature of activities undertaken in California's community colleges to eliminate bias, discrimination, and stereotyping on the basis of sex in vocational education between 1977 and 1981, following the passage of the state's Vocational Education Act of 1976. The historical inequities in education which the act…

Outlines the skills necessary (objectivity, effective parental involvement, assessment preparation, implementing a least-biased assessment, analyzing the information) for a multidisciplinary team to make appropriate educational assessments of minority students as mandated by the Education for All Children Handicapped Act (Public Law 94-142).…