As the college-age Latino population continues to increase throughout the nation, meeting the country's future human capital and workforce needs make it imperative to improve outcomes for Latino students today. As public attention is focused on existing achievement gaps, educators and policymakers are seeking ways to improve educational outcomes…

Governors and state and local education officials assumed that raising student achievement in the elementary and middle grades would solve the problems with high schools--but it hasn't. Why? Good information is the basis for successful improvement, and high school reform lacks accurate information about what students are to learn and about how…

The comprehensive study of California's child care delivery system reported in this document was designed to: (1) identify the unmet child care needs of California families; (2) develop a comprehensive vision of quality child care services; (3) examine the inefficiencies in the current system; (4) and draft specific recommendations for federal,…

A demographic, economic, and educational profile of southern California is provided in this report. A review of population, economic, and educational trends indicates that the region is characterized by a diverse economy, population, and work force; the growth of "edge cities"; pressing environmental and social problems; and increasing…

Changes during the last year in legislation, policies, and procedures that affect the operations and quality of California's private colleges are described. Accredited in-state and out-of-state colleges, approved colleges, and authorized colleges are covered. Colleges can substitute periodic peer review through an accrediting agency for review by…

The policy papers included in this package address various facets of the topic of data-based accountability for education in California. Guy Benveniste of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Education explores the underlying issue of accountability and describes the implications of different types of accountability measures. In…

Telecourses differ in fundamental ways from regular college courses; i.e., faculty are not the only ones involved in telecourse design and production; colleges are not the sole funding agencies for their production; and telecourses are designed to be marketed, rather than to be offered by a single institution. These differences mean that…

The report, prepared for the superintendent of schools in Berkeley, presents the proposals for and methods of achieving total quality integrated education throughout the school system. The document traces the development of the thrust toward school desegregation in the city. Various proposals and plans are suggested and the recommendations of the…

Because of the advent of collective negotiations, public education will never again be completely in control of local school boards. Collective negotiations will probably improve the quality of education to the extent that quality (higher salaries, smaller classes, better working conditions, etc.) coincides with the self-interest of teachers. The…

The recent passage of legislation providing expanded financial support to elementary and secondary schools in California and its implications for educational improvement are discussed in this article. (JD)

"National CrossTalk" is a publication of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The National Center promotes public policies that enhance opportunities for quality education and training beyond high school. The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher…

This report to the Legislature and Governor provides recommendations on the design of a workable structure for the annual evaluation of district-level performance for California Community College districts. Under contract with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, a six-member panel of the Research and Planning Group for…

The goals and measures identified in this report provide insight to policymakers, higher education analysts, and parents and students throughout the nation. They are tools to understand the trend of nationwide standards so that California can make informed decisions about holding its postsecondary institutions accountable for the quality of…

Nationwide, public attention has increasingly focused on the need for a variety of early care and education arrangements to meet the changing needs of families. The demand for early care and education has grown for families from all socioeconomic sectors, intensifying as participants in welfare-to-work programs enter the workforce, and as work…

This study used regression analysis to identify the characteristics of teachers in an underperforming high school who were most likely to blame students and their parents for students' low achievement. The results revealed that the teachers who were most likely to do so can be characterized mostly by negative and contradictory attributes. The need…