February 03, 2021
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California Competes Policy Priorities

Reimagining Higher Education to Serve All Californians

Californians with postsecondary degrees have consistently fared better than those without college credentials, and that’s especially true now during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, because of their sustained employment, college-educated Californians have helped buoy the state’s economy.

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An inclusive economic recovery and future resiliency depend on strengthening the education-to-employment pipeline in several important ways. We urge state and institutional leaders to focus on these interconnected goals:

  • Align higher education and workforce by engaging employers, leveraging regional approaches, and focusing on producing career-ready students;
  • Enable postsecondary access and success for adults through flexible pathways, versatile teaching and learning methods, and increased affordability;
  • Expand quality online education opportunities with effective pedagogy, improved cost structures, and broadband access for all;
  • Support the creation of a future-oriented, independent, and transparent higher education coordinating entity centered on students’ needs; and
  • Launch the comprehensive Cradle-to-Career Data System to better understand student outcomes and promote evidence-based policymaking to close California’s degree attainment gap.

Read more about these priorities: Reimagining Higher Education to Serve All Californians.

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California Competes is a project of Community Partners.