The term "registry" has become a catchall phrase for various vehicles that states are using to build more coherent professional development systems for the early care and education (ECE) field. This policy brief presents the results of a recent nationwide survey of ECE workforce registries, brief profiles of registries in nine states, an…

This paper considers noncredit instruction in the California Community College System. It identifies three related concepts: a state need for increased levels of education that noncredit instruction is well placed to supply, several changes that begin to facilitate that response, and additional changes that are needed to ensure success. The…

This report is California's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (USDE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy, requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The questions…

Over the past several decades, the demand in California for college-educated workers has grown. But the supply of college graduates has not kept pace with demand, and it appears that this "workforce skills gap" will not only continue but widen. This study examines the causes, magnitude, and likely consequences of the potential mismatch…

There is a persistent concern over mismatches between the degrees awarded by universities and the needs of the job market. Although there are shortages of graduates in some fields, many university graduates have difficulty finding jobs that make good use of their education. This has been discussed in newspaper articles, in education and business…

Background: The call to recruit and retain teachers of color in urban high-minority schools is based on an assumption of a cultural match with students. Yet new teachers of color may find themselves challenged by students with whom they are supposedly culturally matched. Although past research has examined recruitment, preservice, and veteran…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by the staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC). At its December 15 meeting, CPEC staff provided an update on the priority higher education legislation, including recent amendments. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included. Contents…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The positions shown for each bill are those adopted by the Commission at its June 9, 2009 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included. Contents include: (1) Access; (2) Affordability;…

Since 2003, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has reported that the number of fully prepared teachers assigned to California's classrooms has increased significantly due in part to the efforts of federal, state and local education policy-makers. As Chart I demonstrates, the overall number of underprepared teachers--those who have…

This paper discusses the importance of institutionalizing practices that promote equitable outcomes for all students within the vast California Community College (CCC) system. The CCC system, which annually provides educational opportunities for almost three million students, exists at the heart of the state economy and future labor pool. Because…

This report focuses on the 15 states of the West (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming), their ability to educate minorities, and the resulting impact on their workforces and economies. The foundation of the Western U.S. economy rests on…

Workforce projections worldwide show a growing need for people with strong backgrounds in math and science. As the eighth largest economy in the world, California benefits particularly from enterprises in the "STEM" fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). How well California's current public school students are…

This report offers California college faculty a closer look at contextualized teaching and learning (CTL) as a promising set of strategies and practices that can be expanded through the state's Basic Skills Initiative. The report is relevant to a range of instructional and counseling faculty, including academic and career and technical education…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) staff. The positions indicated are those adopted by the Commission at the September 8, 2009, and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included.

This report evaluates the contribution of public higher education to raise educational attainment and the challenge of aligning postsecondary education with evolving educational needs of the state's diverse population. Report conclusions include: (1) The educational attainment of California's population is growing more slowly than the national…