Employed

Per Capita Income

Above Poverty

Economic

Preschool Enrollment

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Education

Voting

Census Response

Social

Automobile Access

Active Commuting

Transportation

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Retail Density

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Housing Habitability

Uncrowded Housing

Homeownership

Housing

Ozone

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Diesel Particulate Matter

Safe Drinking Water

Clean Environment

Extreme Heat

Impervious Surfaces

Outdoor Workers

Public Transit Access

Sea Level Rise

Two Parent Households

Alcohol Availability

Supermarket Access

Decision Support

Everyone should have the opportunity to seek higher education and go to college if they choose. A college education is essential for many higher-paying careers, and it also helps people develop the cognitive skills and knowledge necessary to make healthy choices. A college education can also build important social and physiological skills. Education in general is linked to positive health outcomes including increased life expectancy and reduced chronic disease rates, as well as negative health outcomes including infant mortality. Higher education, including having some college education and bachelor’s degree or higher, are linked with even better health outcomes and higher incomes. College graduates are more likely to find quality jobs with living wages and decent working conditions.  Higher learning contributes to overall knowledge and cognition, and students learn social and physiological skills including problem solving, teamwork, self-control, social support, and life skills. College graduation rates vary across California, and the nation, reflecting historic and often persistent funding inequities in places with fewer resources and social power, such as African American/Black, Latino, working class communities, and those with low-English proficiency.

This indicator measures the percentage of people over age 25 with a bachelor's education or higher.

Schweinhart, “The High/Scope Perrry Preschool Study Through Age 40: Summary, Conclusions, and Frequently Asked Questions.”

Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, “Applying Social Determinants of Health Indicator Data for Advancing Healthy Equity,” 2015, https://www.barhii.org/sdoh-indicator-guide.

California Child Care Programs Local Assistance—All Funds. California Department of Finance, 2014–2015 Budget Act.

American Institutes for Research, “Early Learning Needs Assessment Tool,” 2010.

First Five Association of California, “A Health Beginning for Young California Kids: Universal Developmental and Behavioral Screening,” n.d., https://www.childrennow.org/files/9314/2912/4344/dev-screening-infographic.pdf.

Jelleyman, T. and N. Spencer. (2008). Residential Mobility in Childhood and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

Gilman, S. E., Kawachi, I., Fitzmaurice, G. M., & Buka S.L. (2003). Socio-economic Status, Family Disruption and Residential Stability in Childhood: Relation to Onset, Recurrence and Remission of Major Depression. Psychological Medicine, 33 (8), 1341-1355.

Cohen, R., & Wardrip, K. (2009). Should I Stay or Should I go? Exploring the Effects of Housing Instability and Mobility on Children. Center for Housing Policy. Retrieved from http://www.nhc.org/media/files/HsgInstablityandMobility.pdf

National Student Research Clearinghouse, 2017. “Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates by Race and Ethnicity – Fall 2010 Cohort.” https://nscresearchcenter.org/signaturereport12-supplement-2/

Riverside County Office of Education, “Race to Submission,” n.d., http://www.rcec.us/race-to-submit/.

Carrie Bourdon and Rozana Carduzzi, “What Works in the Community Colleges: A Synthesis of the Literature on Best Practices” (California Univ., Los Angeles. Graduate School of Education, 2002).

Paul Umbach and Matthew Wawrzynski, “Faculty Do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement” 46, no. 2 (June 2004): 153–84.

The Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. Office of the Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education , “Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education” (Washington, DC, November 2016), https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/advancing-diversity-inclusion.pdf.

The Campaign for College Opportunity, “Keeping the Promise: Going the Distance on Transfer Reform,” March 2016, http://collegecampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2016-Keeping-the-Promise_Full-Report-FINAL.pdf.

The Education Trust-West, “The Majority Report: Supporting the Educational Success of Latino Students in California,” 2017, https://29v0kg31gs803wndhe1sj1hd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/11/ETW_MajorityReport.FINAL-11.3.17.pdf.

L Sutcher, L Darling-Hammond, and D Carver-Thomas, “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.” (Learning Policy Institute, 2016).

D Carver-Thomas and L Darling-Hammond, “California Special Education Teacher Shortages Grow More Severe” (Learning Policy Institute, 2017).

Improving the percentage of people attending and graduating college requires policies that encourage student success during college, as well as in the years leading up to college.

To support existing college students, jurisdictions should 

 by helping students overcome the financial barriers to higher education through financial aid, incentivized savings, and policies that lower housing costs and improve economic sufficiency. They should also 

 by providing academic and social supports to keep students on track—especially in their transitional first year. Community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities should 

 by structuring curriculum, classes, and schedules to guide students in meeting their academic goals.

Longer term, jurisdictions can focus on the pipeline of students in high school and early childhood education. Perhaps the most fundamental action that local jurisdictions can take to improve educational outcomes is to 

, to help reverse current inequities and ensure that all California students have the support they need to graduate. This is especially important for young children, as studies show that learning opportunities in early years are crucial for academic success. To help kids get a head start, local jurisdictions and districts should 

Foster Community, Parent, and Youth Participation

. Engaged communities and families ensure that education systems are responsive, relevant, powerful, and integrated with broader community transformation initiatives.

Quality teaching and social supports are also important ingredient in successful educational systems. Local jurisdictions should 

, especially for children who may fall behind. These supports are an essential tool in closing gaps in educational success for students of color, low-income students, and others. Educational success also depends on attracting, retaining, and supporting quality educators and leaders, so local jurisdictions should 

Improve Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

 to ensure that every student has access to a full range of opportunities.

Students learn best when schools are healthy and safe. Local jurisdictions and schools should work to 

 through healthy food, physical activity, safety and other supports. They should also 

Create a Safe and Supportive School Climate

, which has been linked to improved emotional behavioral and emotional outcomes. 

Help students overcome financial barriers to higher education.

Promising

Individual Development Accounts/Child Development Accounts 

Sufficient Evidence

Financial Aid Counseling and Outreach 

Equitable Economic Development

Safe, Stable, and Affordable Student Housing

To achieve academic success, students need healthy food, physical activity, and other supports for healthy bodies and minds.

Strong Evidence

Healthy and Free/Affordable School Breakfast and Lunch Programs

Climate

Safe Routes to School Programs

Health-Attendance Partnerships

School-Based Health Centers

School Wellness Policies

Health and Physical Education

Educational success depends on attracting, retaining, and supporting quality educators and leaders.

Focused Educator Recruitment and Placement Programs

Equity

Special Education Credentials

Educator Retention Programs

Professional Development, Training, and Mentorship for Teachers

Multiple Measure Evaluation Systems

Studies show that learning opportunities in our early years are crucial for academic success.

Universal Low or No-Cost Preschool and Childcare

Transitional Kindergarten

Free Development Screening

A positive school climate has been linked to improved emotional behavioral and emotional outcomes.

Restorative Justice Programs

End Punitive Discipline

Physical Activity

Violence Prevention and Safety

Sanctuary and Supportive Schools

Data can be collected, shared, analyzed and used to identify community needs and prioritize strategies to advance equity.

Healthy Neighborhoods

Health

Best Practice

Track Impact Data

Collect, Analyze, and Use Disaggregated Data

Create well-designed pathways that guide students in meeting their academic goals.

Pathways to Four-Year College 

Summer Bridge Programs 

Well-Designed Degree Pathways 

Alternate Remediation Strategies

Manage tracking and ensure every student has educational opportunities that prepare them for college, career and the future of their choice.

Manage Tracking to Promote Equity

College and Career Readiness

Provide academic and social supports to keep students on track—especially in their transitional first year.

Academic Advising 

Investments in Faculty 

Peer Mentoring 

High-Impact Practices 

School funding often flows inequitably to higher-income districts and schools. Ensuring more equitable distribution of resources can help reverse these inequities and ensure that all California students have the support they need to graduate.

Local Control Funding Formula

Manage Charters and School Choice to Promote Equity.

Engaged communities and families ensure that education systems are responsive, relevant, powerful, and integrated with broader community transformation initiatives.

Community Power and Connection

Parent Engagement and Advocacy Programs

Community Schools

Youth Development and Advocacy Programs

Collective Impact Initiatives

Academic and social supports are an essential tool in closing gaps in educational success for students of color, low-income students and others.

Policy Guide

Bachelor's Education

References