Alinhando educação básica e estudos universitários: diferenças raciais / étnicas no desempenho de “calouros” em universidades comunitárias na Califórnia.

In this paper we focus on California high school students’ transition to community colleges. Our unique dataset tracks five cohorts of California high school juniors into their freshmen year at in-state community colleges. We evaluate the extent to which high school achievement tests (currently not utilized by community colleges in course placement decisions) are useful for predicting academic success at community college. In addition, given persistent disparities in college attainment by race, we explore whether this fundamental relationship between high school achievement, college course-taking, and performance differs for students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds.En este artículo nos centramos en la transición de estudiantes de escuelas secundarias a universidades comunitarias en California. Nuestra base de datos rastrea cinco cohortes de jóvenes egresados de escuelas secundarias de California en su primer año en universidades comunitarias del estado. Se evalúa el grado en que las pruebas de rendimiento escolar (en la actualidad no se utilizan por universidades comunitarias en las decisiones de asignación de cursos) son útiles para predecir el éxito académico en las universidades comunitarias. Además, teniendo en cuenta la persistencia de disparidades raciales en estudios universitarios, se explora si esta relación fundamental entre logros académicos en la escuela secundaria, asistencia a cursos universitarios y rendimiento es diferente para estudiantes de diferentes orígenes raciales/étnicos.Neste artigo focalizamos a transição de alunos do ensino médio para universidades comunitárias na Califórnia. Nosso banco de dados rastreia cinco coortes de jovens que concluíram o Ensino Médio na Califórnia em seu primeiro ano em universidades comunitárias do estado. Ele avalia em que medida os testes de desempenho escolar (atualmente não utilizados por universidades comunitárias como critério de ingresso) são úteis na previsão de sucesso escolar em universidades comunitárias. Além disso, dada a persistência de disparidades raciais no Ensino Superior,, exploramos se esta relação fundamental entre desempenho acadêmico no ensino médio, cursos universitários e desempenho é diferente para alunos de diferentes raças / etnias

Effects of the California High School Exit Exam on Student Persistence, Achievement, and Graduation

Analyzes the impact of the exit exam requirement on student persistence, achievement, and graduation by race/ethnicity and gender and the factors behind the differential effects. Considers implications for the fairness and effectiveness of the exams

Do Community Colleges provide a Viable Pathway to a Baccalaureate Degree?

Community colleges have become an important entryway for students intending to complete a baccalaureate degree. However, many question the viability of the transfer function and wonder whether students suffer a penalty for starting at a two-year institution. This paper examines how the outcomes of community college entrants compare to similar students who initially entered four-year institutions within the Ohio public higher education system. Using a detailed dataset, we track outcomes for nine years and employ multiple strategies to deal with selection issues: propensity score matching and instrumental variables. The results suggest that straightforward estimates are significantly biased, but even after accounting for selection, students who initially begin at a community college were 14.5 percent less likely to complete a bachelor's degree within nine years.

Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 Disruptions for California College Students

This paper documents the experience of California college students in the midst of the pandemic as their academic and home lives were disrupted. The analysis relies on a survey sent to all financial aid applicants statewide. Survey respondents include nearly 100,000 students enrolled in both two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions. Results reveal multiple stressors strained the educational experience and trajectories of many students. These stressors were not evenly distributed. In particular, students from low-income backgrounds were more likely to face increased financial stress, additional home responsibilities, and difficulty accessing the online learning environment, when compared to their higher-income peers