The California higher education system has not kept pace with changing workforce demands or the needs of California's racially diverse population. Fewer than half of adults in California have a college credential but by 2030, 60% will need a college education to meet workforce demand and racial equity gaps will need to be entirely eliminated. In…

Public schools are suffering from a well-publicized diversity problem. Minority students make up nearly half of all public school students, yet minority teachers comprise just 18 percent of the teacher workforce. In an effort to address what Slate has described as "the one cause in education everyone supports," school districts across…

In this policy report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores the intersection of kids, race, and opportunity. The report features the new Race for Results index, which compares how children are progressing on key milestones across racial and ethnic groups at the national and state level. The index is based on 12 indicators that measure a child's…

This brief takes a broad look at low-income young adults in an effort to contribute to the national discussion on improving degree completion by increasing participation among all disadvantaged populations--especially those who attempt to succeed in postsecondary settings under financial stress. Understanding the linkages between low-income young…

Despite the proliferation of data about student performance, secondary school educators have had difficulty accessing data on their former students' post-high school employment and earnings in the formal economy. This article describes how one community used state unemployment insurance data, merged with student record data, to investigate the…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "A Tipping Point in Education": Report Finds Educational Attainment of Younger Generations Has Not Increased; (2) Building a…

One of the most important indicators of educational performance is the high school dropout rate. Reducing dropout rates and improving high school graduation rates are important goals for both educators and policymakers. Yet there is a great deal of controversy about how best to measure dropout and graduation rates. This issue of EL Facts provides…

College student enrollment from the four largest minority groups (American Indians, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics) rose by 2.9% in 1995, accounting for one-quarter of all students. White student enrollments accounted for an overall enrollment decline of 1%, although the proportion of whites aged 18-24 in college reached an all-time high, 43%. Blacks…

The education gap that exists between white and minority students in the United States is a byproduct of both economic disparity and inequity. Lack of resources and fewer qualified teachers are just two factors that contribute to the problem. Currently, only about 70 percent of all American high school students graduate in the expected four years,…

A study was done to determine enrollment, persistence and graduation patterns of domestic special action students at the University of California Davis. Special action students are the small portion who are admitted despite not meeting undergraduate eligibility requirements (specific course work, grade point average and standardized test scores)…

This study examined the possible influence of socioeconomic background and academic preparation of freshmen entering University of California Davis in Fall 1988 on persistence to graduation. Most academic data for the study came from a longitudinal database of undergraduates enrolled at Davis. Socioeconomic background data came from a freshman…

This study used statistical analysis to determine the extent to which racial, ethnic, and gender preferences are affect admissions policies of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (New York) and the U.S. Naval academy at Annapolis (Maryland). The study used data for all applicants for the fall 1995 freshman class that included racial or ethnic…

This report tracks the school-completion progress of New York City students who entered ninth grade in fall 1990 and were scheduled to graduate on time in June 1994. The report indicates the percentages of students (including those in special education) who graduated, dropped out, and remained in school for summer school or a fifth year in fall…

This study relates the personal characteristics, high school experiences, and college experiences of students pursuing a baccalaureate degree to the type of institution they attended and their ethnicity. Multivariate analysis was performed on data drawn from the High School and Beyond database. Summary conclusions include the following: (1)…

This report provides data on racial/ethnic diversity within the Oregon University System (OUS) in regard to student enrollment, graduation, and retention trends. Five-year total (undergraduate and graduate) enrollment trends within the OUS indicate that representation of students of color increased from 11.5 percent of enrollment in fall 1993 to…