Jeanfromfillmore
07-21-2011, 01:06 PM
INLAND: Study find the region's education system lacking
A new report by a research arm of Cal State Sacramento shows Inland-area students at or near the bottom in most measures of college preparation, high school graduation and college attendance.
The Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy report said data from 2003 to 2009 shows a downward trend in education performance statewide. California ranks last among the 50 states in total spending per student.
The Inland Empire region -- Riverside and San Bernardino counties -- ranked lowest in the state in the percentage of students earning degrees from a state university, in this case UC Riverside and Cal State San Bernardino. Only 32 percent of eighth-graders were proficient in math in 2010, the lowest percentage in the state. And only the Inyo-Mono counties region was lower than the Inland Empire in the percentage of ninth-grade students who eventually enrolled in college.
There were some bright spots.
In the area of college preparation, Inland schools led the state in the percentage of eighth-graders taking algebra during the 2009-10 school year. The region was near the middle of the pack in the share of high school graduates who completed courses required for admission to a state university.
Nancy Shulock is executive director of the institute and a co-author of the study. "It wasn't really new," Shulock said of the portrait of California the study presents. The important element of the report, she said, is the analysis of the data over time.
"We're average at best and we're trending downwards."
The report calls attention to issues the authors feel need to be addressed. Shulock said most of the blame for the situation lies with policy makers.
"We need improved statewide planning for higher education," she said. "Our main message is: This is something that has been neglected by policy leaders to the detriment of the whole state."
Deomgraphic Factors
Local college officials blamed demographics for the low percentage of students earning degrees. Both UCR and Cal State San Bernardino tout their diverse student population. But that diversity can bring challenges.
The report showed that while scores are improving over time, Latino and African-American students ranked well below white and Asian-American students on college readiness measurements.
Milton Clark is associate vice president for undergraduate studies at Cal State San Bernardino. He said 43 percent of the campus' students are Latino. But while some minority students may struggle to adjust to college, he said the school has a good track record of helping them succeed.
On a test measuring improvement during a college career, Clark said, "We're in the top 25 percent nationally. If you account for our demographics, we're in the top 2 percent. Although our students come in under-prepared, they pick up a good deal of those critical skills."
The six-year graduation rate at the campus is 44 percent, Clark said. The average among Cal State schools is 52.4 percent. At UCR, the graduation rate is 68 percent.
Pam Clute is the executive director of UCR's Alpha Center.
"We have a K-12 population that is not ready for college," she said. She estimated the campus spends $5 million per year on remedial courses to bring students up to speed.
Clute said the school is cooperating with local school districts on programs to help better prepare students.
Negative attention from studies such as this one can actually help, she said. "When the Inland Empire is identified as an area of need, it is a magnet for foundations looking to spend dollars in creative and productive ways."
School districts have lost about 20 percent of their state funding in the past three years, according to Inland educators.
Partisan Issue
The report comes less than three weeks after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the general fund budget of the state agency charged with coordinating the UC, CSU and community college systems. The report supported that move, saying the California Postsecondary Education Commission was ineffective, but Shulock and others worry that nothing has been proposed to take its place.
"It's the only source of intergovernmental data that policy makers can use to inform their decisions," said Judy Heiman, a higher education expert at the nonpartisan legislative analyst's office. "The big question is, what happens next?"
Budget bills passed in March and June reduced UC and CSU revenue by $1.4 billion. Community college funding is virtually unchanged from last year. All the systems, however, would face additional cuts early next year if expected state revenue fails to materialize.
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, the top Republican on the Assembly Higher Education Committee, blamed Democrats for increasing the burdens on the state's university system and community colleges.
He cited the Legislature's party-line approval of a bill that would allow undocumented students to get scholarship help. The legislation is on Brown's desk.
"We've gotten so far afield from the original goal," Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said of the state's universities. "I don't think budget cuts have anything to do with what's wrong with the higher education system."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_study21.39470e0.html
A new report by a research arm of Cal State Sacramento shows Inland-area students at or near the bottom in most measures of college preparation, high school graduation and college attendance.
The Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy report said data from 2003 to 2009 shows a downward trend in education performance statewide. California ranks last among the 50 states in total spending per student.
The Inland Empire region -- Riverside and San Bernardino counties -- ranked lowest in the state in the percentage of students earning degrees from a state university, in this case UC Riverside and Cal State San Bernardino. Only 32 percent of eighth-graders were proficient in math in 2010, the lowest percentage in the state. And only the Inyo-Mono counties region was lower than the Inland Empire in the percentage of ninth-grade students who eventually enrolled in college.
There were some bright spots.
In the area of college preparation, Inland schools led the state in the percentage of eighth-graders taking algebra during the 2009-10 school year. The region was near the middle of the pack in the share of high school graduates who completed courses required for admission to a state university.
Nancy Shulock is executive director of the institute and a co-author of the study. "It wasn't really new," Shulock said of the portrait of California the study presents. The important element of the report, she said, is the analysis of the data over time.
"We're average at best and we're trending downwards."
The report calls attention to issues the authors feel need to be addressed. Shulock said most of the blame for the situation lies with policy makers.
"We need improved statewide planning for higher education," she said. "Our main message is: This is something that has been neglected by policy leaders to the detriment of the whole state."
Deomgraphic Factors
Local college officials blamed demographics for the low percentage of students earning degrees. Both UCR and Cal State San Bernardino tout their diverse student population. But that diversity can bring challenges.
The report showed that while scores are improving over time, Latino and African-American students ranked well below white and Asian-American students on college readiness measurements.
Milton Clark is associate vice president for undergraduate studies at Cal State San Bernardino. He said 43 percent of the campus' students are Latino. But while some minority students may struggle to adjust to college, he said the school has a good track record of helping them succeed.
On a test measuring improvement during a college career, Clark said, "We're in the top 25 percent nationally. If you account for our demographics, we're in the top 2 percent. Although our students come in under-prepared, they pick up a good deal of those critical skills."
The six-year graduation rate at the campus is 44 percent, Clark said. The average among Cal State schools is 52.4 percent. At UCR, the graduation rate is 68 percent.
Pam Clute is the executive director of UCR's Alpha Center.
"We have a K-12 population that is not ready for college," she said. She estimated the campus spends $5 million per year on remedial courses to bring students up to speed.
Clute said the school is cooperating with local school districts on programs to help better prepare students.
Negative attention from studies such as this one can actually help, she said. "When the Inland Empire is identified as an area of need, it is a magnet for foundations looking to spend dollars in creative and productive ways."
School districts have lost about 20 percent of their state funding in the past three years, according to Inland educators.
Partisan Issue
The report comes less than three weeks after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the general fund budget of the state agency charged with coordinating the UC, CSU and community college systems. The report supported that move, saying the California Postsecondary Education Commission was ineffective, but Shulock and others worry that nothing has been proposed to take its place.
"It's the only source of intergovernmental data that policy makers can use to inform their decisions," said Judy Heiman, a higher education expert at the nonpartisan legislative analyst's office. "The big question is, what happens next?"
Budget bills passed in March and June reduced UC and CSU revenue by $1.4 billion. Community college funding is virtually unchanged from last year. All the systems, however, would face additional cuts early next year if expected state revenue fails to materialize.
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, the top Republican on the Assembly Higher Education Committee, blamed Democrats for increasing the burdens on the state's university system and community colleges.
He cited the Legislature's party-line approval of a bill that would allow undocumented students to get scholarship help. The legislation is on Brown's desk.
"We've gotten so far afield from the original goal," Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said of the state's universities. "I don't think budget cuts have anything to do with what's wrong with the higher education system."
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_study21.39470e0.html