Large numbers of students who enroll in college do not complete a degree. Yet, earning a college degree is one of the primary pathways for economic success and is increasingly required for good jobs and high wages. The way students interpret early academic struggles in college may affect whether or not they remain enrolled. If students attribute…

Large numbers of students who enroll in college do not complete a degree. If students attribute their academic challenges to a perceived lack of intelligence or inability to succeed in college, they may be less likely to persist. "Growth Mindset" interventions aim to improve college persistence and academic achievement by encouraging…

"Growth Mindset" interventions aim to improve college persistence and academic achievement by encouraging students to view intelligence as a "malleable" characteristic that grows with effort, and to view academic challenges as temporary setbacks that they can overcome. This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) report explores the…

Early childhood education programs play an important role in child family-to-school transition. In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Act, which levied a 50-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes and other tobacco products to finance programs for children ages 0-5. In less than two decades, First 5…

The Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families was developed in the late 1990s in response to the growing concentration of joblessness, underemployment, welfare receipt, and poverty in some of the nation's most economically deprived communities: public housing developments and their surrounding neighborhoods. In many…

The authors prepared this report after exploring programs using a 90-day cycle process borrowed from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The IHI 90-day cycle scans activity in the field as a "quick way to research innovative ideas and assess their potential for advancing quality improvement". The goal was to "get under…

There is widespread agreement that many of California's high schools are doing a poor job of preparing their students for college and careers. The James Irvine Foundation is sponsoring a major initiative to develop "Multiple Pathways"--now called the Linked Learning approach--as a strategy for improving the performance of California high…

This report analyzes the effect of the California Dental Disease Prevention Program (DDPP). The program includes education about dental health and nutrition, daily toothbrushing and flossing, and weekly application of a fluoride mouthrinse. The DDPP serves approximately 350,000 elementary school children. The implementation of the DDPP is…

Examination of cost and job placement data for 428 of 2,958 courses taught in California Regional Occupational Centers and Programs showed few differences among 8 course areas, suggesting that centers invest differing amounts in areas to achieve equivalent placement. Cost-benefit analysis may be of limited usefulness when context cannot be…

As part of a review of California's strategy for helping recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) find jobs through the Work Incentive Program (WIN), eight demonstration programs were analyzed. There were four major findings. First, the Department of Social Services (DSS), which targets AFDC recipients with recent job…

This staff delivery policy study was initiated by the legislature and governor in response to a steady escalation in the number and costs of staff development programs in the California public schools. The report is based on four main data sources: (1) descriptions of local patterns of staff development; (2) teacher and administrator surveys; (3)…

The second part of the California State Department of Education annual report on publicly subsidized child care services, this document describes services provided by California's preschool programs during the fiscal year of 1979-80. Included are brief statistical descriptions of the children and families served, the providers of state preschool…

This study examines the specific economic impact on the cost to government of subsidized child care and development services. Data were collected from all 295 families who used Valley Child Care services for more than six months, over a period of two and a half years. The data and results indicated significant economic effects of providing…

Four products were developed during the second year of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) cost effectiveness study for California community colleges. This project report presents: (1) a revised cost analysis form for state-level reporting of institutional program effectiveness data and per-student costs by EOPS program category…

Background information and a status report are provided on the first-year activities of the Transfer Center Pilot Program, an intersegmental cooperative effort among the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, and independent colleges and universities in California to increase the transfer rate…