Presented by: Dr. Mayra A. Lara, Senior Practice Associate, The Education Trust – West; and Mark Lenoir, Assistant Superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District.
Less than half of California twelfth grade students and only 39 percent of low-income students graduate having completed the courses required for admission to a UC or CSU. Additionally,
- 4 out of 10 Latinx, Black, and Pacific Islander
- 3 out of 10 Native American
- 1 in 10 emerging bilingual (English Learners)
graduate having successfully completed the A-G course sequence.
The reality is that the vast majority of students from underrepresented groups lack access to California’s four-year public university systems directly after high school. In fact, schools that serve low-income students, emerging bilingual students, and underrepresented students of color have, on average, more than 10 percent fewer A-G approved English courses than affluent high schools. The results are detrimental and the message is clear: students can graduate high school, but won’t be eligible for California’s four-year public universities.
Education leaders must work intentionally and explicitly to ensure the development of college and career learning opportunities for our most marginalized students that dramatically improve academic outcomes. This work is possible. A number of California districts are leading the way in changing policies and practices to ensure that students graduate college and career ready.
Join Dr. Mayra A. Lara and Mark Lenoir, at the Alliance Summit & Excellence In Parent Engagement Awards on November 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, to learn about research on promising practices for advancing college/career readiness access and success for students of color, low-income students, and for emerging bilingual students. They will share examples from California where education leaders are creating the conditions necessary for students to graduate college and career ready.
