Featured Research Collection

Featured Research Collection used by front page.

Out-of-School Suspensions in California’s School Districts Reveal Hidden Crisis

A new report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project estimates that more than 400,000 students were suspended and removed from classrooms at least one time during the 2009-10 school year in California.

CRP Calls for Fundamental Changes in California's Community Colleges

Almost 75% of all Latino and two-thirds of all Black students who go on to higher education in California go to a community college, yet in 2010 only 20% of all transfers to four-year institutions were Latino or African American. Pathways to the baccalaureate are segregated; students attending low-performing high schools usually go directly into community colleges that transfer few students to 4-year colleges. Conversely, a handful of community colleges serving high percentages of white, Asian and middle class students are responsible for the majority of all transfers in the state. California ranks last among the states in the proportion of its college students who attend a 4-year institution, which is a key factor in the state’s abysmal record on BA attainment. In a state in which half of all high school graduates are Black and Latino, this situation spells economic disaster for the future of the state.

Policy Brief Highlights Student Achievement and Parent Demand for Magnet Schools

This new research is based on a 2011 survey of magnet school leaders from over 50 school districts across the country. Magnet school leaders responding to the survey reported that student achievement rose during periods of federal magnet funding via the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) and that parent demand for magnet school placements was high. Inclusive admissions processes and inter-district transfer policies were increasing, both of which are particularly effective in reducing racial isolation in schools.

Report Shows Poorly Educated Workers at Bottom of So Cal's Broken Economic Ladder

By focusing on underemployment rates in addition to the numbers of unemployed, this report provides a more accurate measure of the health of the labor market in Southern California and finds a marked increase in the concentration of people clinging to the bottom of the state’s social and economic ladder, with Latino and Black males comprising the economy's hardest hit sectors.

UCLA Research Center Releases Studies Showing Barriers To College From State Budget Cuts Growing

The reports clearly show the very dramatic impact of cuts implemented prior to this year, with huge cuts now being imposed certain to intensify the situation. In a policy briefing today, representatives of the California Senate Education Committee, the California Postsecondary Education Commission, and the Legislative Analyst's Office will comment on the studies and offer their perspectives on where the state goes from here.