July 29, 2020
Bachelor's Degrees Community Colleges Degree Attainment Employment Enrollment Four-Year Colleges Population Race and Ethnicity Regions Sub-Baccalaureate Degrees Ed Equity Adults COVID-19 Workforce

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Postsecondary to Prosperity: Examining California’s Opportunity Landscape

California depends on its strong workforce to drive economic growth, but in the midst of the current pandemic and accompanying unemployment rates, the state must rethink its approach to supporting skilled workers and their future access to higher education. To inform decision making and help prioritize equity in the state’s approach to economic recovery, Postsecondary to Prosperity: Examining California’s Opportunity Landscape highlights critical analyses into educational outcomes, upward mobility in the workforce, and quality of life. With data drawn from California Competes’s new California Postsecondary to Prosperity Dashboard, the report helps assess and address inequitable pathways to higher education and economic mobility throughout California’s diverse regions.

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Key Findings

1

Californians live different experiences based on key factors: race/ethnicity, region, gender, income, level of education, and whether in high school they were homeless, a foster youth, a migrant, an English learner, socioeconomically disadvantaged, or with a disability.

2

Latinx, Black, and Native American and Alaska Native Californians face particularly inequitable opportunities.

3

Some quality of life markers, however, are equally good or bad across groups—notably, housing is unaffordable for almost everyone, and nearly all Californians have health insurance.

4

Further studying, understanding, and analyzing the data are key next steps toward developing and implementing strategies to meet our goals.

Check out the Postsecondary to Prosperity Dashboard here and read our other published briefs here.

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Crisis Underscores Need for Coordination in Higher Education

Ilaf Esuf | October 20, 2020

Dr. Lande Ajose, senior policy advisor for higher education to Governor Gavin Newsom, and Peter Taylor, president of the ECMC Foundation and California State University (CSU) trustee, shed light on coordination in higher education during the Postsecondary to Prosperity webinar, which featured a discussion on how the state must respond during these uncertain times.

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California Competes Talks Higher Education and Workforce on “Nation State of Play” Podcast

California Competes | October 13, 2020

Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez joined Neptune Ops Partner and Co-Founder Bryan Miller on his podcast, “Nation State of Play,” to discuss how higher education and workforce in California can emerge from COVID-19 stronger and more equitable than before. Their conversation covered California Competes’s research priorities, the importance of consistent statewide policymaking and coordination, credit for prior learning, and more.

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Side by Side: Comparing Credit for Prior Learning and Competency-Based Education

California Competes | September 29, 2020

Credit for prior learning (CPL) and competency-based education (CBE) are two approaches that can significantly boost degree attainment while closing equity gaps. While each approach offers an alternative to traditional seat-time based classroom instruction, they are not interchangeable.

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California Competes is a project of Community Partners.