Policy paper written for fellowship application which questions California's largest expenditure (education) based on the statistics of college-ready high school graduates.

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California’s Educational System: A Failing Grade?
Policy Paper by Geneva Mae Lewis
February 7, 2016
California’s educational system is one of the largest programs in the state budget,
accounting for 40% of the state’s general fund. If government is measured on business metrics,
how is our investment returning dividends? With a skilled workforce, a stable tax base and our
young people confident that they can contribute and earn a living? We appear to have a two-
tiered system, condemning those students who don’t fit into the educational system’s metrics of
college readiness to a lifetime of struggle and economic instability. How can we make our
investment in education “pay off,” financially and in the development of student competence,
confidence, and achievement of marketable job skills and stable employment?
California’s high school graduates fall into two categories: those who meet minimum
requirements for admission to the UC/CSU system, and those who do not. Those who complete
the A-G requirements include four years of English and math, foreign language and science lab
classes with a minimum grade of “C’ to qualify. Their number stands at 38%, which means that
62% of our graduates are not college-ready. Go into any California high school classroom with
30 students, and about 12 of 30 have a chance of going to a 4-year college upon graduation, less
if the student is Latino (20%) or African-American (18%). The 62% who are not college-ready
can currently graduate from high school with a “D’ average and only two years of math and
English, with no foreign language or science lab class requirements. Moreover, of the 81% of
students who graduate (30th in the nation), only 62% of children with disabilities, 65% of those
with limited English proficiency, and 76% of those who are classified as low-income graduate.
College graduate degree holders can expect a lifetime of earnings at least double that of those

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with only a high school diploma. Those with only some high school or a high school degree
alone are typically relegated to low-paying service industry jobs and manual labor.
An intermediate solution would appear to be turn to the community college system for
the 62% who do not qualify for admission to the UC/CSU system. Currently, California has one
of the lowest costs for students and the highest enrollment in its community college system. With
2.1 million students across 113 colleges statewide, the opportunity for associate degree and
certificate completion, transfer to 4-year colleges, and workforce and vocational training are
potentially available for students, but statistical analysis of one college (Sierra College in
Rocklin, CA.) reveals an associate degree completion rate of 29% and a dismal transfer rate of
13%. Nationally, a recent report reveals that only 14% of community college students transfer
and earn a bachelor’s degree in six years. What can California do to lead the nation in
educational parity and access?
There are two options: Mandate that all high school students complete the A-G sequence
to graduate from high school. Raise the thresholds, standards, and teaching quality. If we
continue to allow almost 2/3 of our students to graduate without real options, we will pay for it in
increased social service and correctional system expenditures. Living on minimum wage is not
sustainable and can lead to grim outcomes for the individual and society. The other option is to
streamline community colleges into two arms: a strict general education plan for those who wish
to transfer, eliminating superfluous courses that do not adhere to UC/CSU transferrable
coursework and tightening course offerings to a compact set of well-taught basic courses
prepping students for transfer. The second arm is to strengthen the vocational/ workforce training
aspect of the schools, creating partnerships with local businesses and workforce needs, training
students for job readiness and the measurable goal of employment in fields with a livable wage.

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California’s 2015 Career Pathways grants ($500 million over two years) are a laudable
and ground-breaking use of funding through the California Career Pathways Trust, strengthening
partnerships among industry, K-12 public schools, and community colleges with the goal of
training students for well-paying stable jobs in technology, software, manufacturing, and health
care. Plans such as President Obama’s College To Career Initiative, which proposed that two-
year colleges develop partnerships with local businesses to train workers in industry or fields in
which are relevant to the specific community and providing apprenticeships, would provide a
tangible pathway to career options and job training. Education, career choices, and success
should not be reserved for the 38% of our young people. We have the potential to create a
vibrant, creative, and competent workforce, and we need to focus on making the promise of
education into a reality for all, not just a select few.
Sources
Carnevale, A, Rose, S, and Cheah, B. “The College Payoff: Education, Occupations, Lifetime
Earnings.” (p.p. 1-36). Gerorgetown University Center on Education and The Workforce,
2011.
Tatum, A., Carter, A, Ravi M., and Kaldani, D. “Introduction: Unsustainable California: The Top
Ten Issues Facing the Golden State.” cacommonsense.org.
Community College Fact Sheet. The White House.
“K-12 Education.” californiacommonsense.org.
Wikipedia. “Sierra College.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_College.

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