Policy Briefs

To be competitive, California's economy, like the rest of the U.S., requires a greater number of well-educated workers than currently exists. Many activities are underway to improve educational preparation and opportunity for Californians. However, without concerted statewide focus to leverage existing efforts and introduce new strategic initiatives, accelerating California higher educational attainment and workforce preparation will remain difficult.. This brief offers policy recommendations, based on recent research and discussions, to improve the educational attainment of California's workforce, especially Latinos.

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Addressing the educational needs of the fastest growing community in the United States—the Hispanic community—is vital to our national interest. In September 2000, the President’s Advisory Commission and the staff of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans presented a targeted plan of action that addresses early childhood through graduate and professional education. It will take the collective commitment and concentrated action of every sector to raise the educational achievement of all Hispanic students to the same level of excellence as other students in America by 2010.

Publication profiles programs showing early signs of increasing the opportunities and improving academic achievement for Latino students in early childhood through college.

Brief describes federal legislation and programs that support higher education and to assess Latino participation in these programs.