Black teachers: How to recruit them and make them stay
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Superintendents: Well-paid and walking away
The debt to degree connection
College in prison: How earning a degree can lead to a new life
Christian Robinson always planned to go to college, but when she graduated from Adelanto High School in California’s High Desert, she felt aimless. Without a plan or preparation for higher education, she decided to go to work instead.
She regrets that now.
“I wish I would have gone straight into college because I would have had everything done, finished and over with,” said Robinson, who at 20 is now enrolling at Victor Valley College.
Currently, Robinson juggles two jobs, working for a security company and serving fast food. She wishes she had received more guidance about attending college from her school.
Robinson’s story was typical for Black students at Adelanto High School, where over 8 out of 10 Black students graduated in 2020 without the college prep courses — known as A-G — required for admission to California’s public universities.
The path has been different for her younger brother MarQuan Thornton, currently a high school senior at Adelanto. Months away from graduation, Thornton is one of a small group of students deciding not whether he will go to college, but which one.
Thornton has worked hard but recognizes that the key difference between his trajectory and his sister’s is the support he’s getting from school that did not exist during his sister’s time there.
Three years after his sister graduated, his high school began the Heritage Program, which is aimed at ensuring that Black students, like him, are on track to complete their A-G requirements.
Thornton knows he’s on track to meet the requirements that will make him eligible to attend a state university.
“If she (Christian Robinson) had this type of chance when she was in high school, she probably would have been where I am at,” Thornton said. “I can see the difference.”
While the vast majority of students in California — 86% of seniors in 2023 — graduate from high school, most — 56% in 2023 — do not complete their A-G requirements, according to an EdSource analysis of data from the California Department of Education. EdSource’s analysis found that Black and Latino students are the hardest hit.
In 2023, 68% of Black students and 64% of Latino students did not meet A-G requirements, compared with 26% of Asian students and 48% of white students, according to EdSource’s analysis.
The highest non-completion group is foster students at 88%, followed by disabled students at 85% and English learners at 82%.
“These kinds of numbers should be treated as a five-alarm fire,” said Melissa Valenzuela-Stookey, director of P-16 research for Ed Trust-West, a nonprofit that advocates for justice in education.
Valenzuela-Stookey said high school graduates are being shut out of affordable four-year public college options, because they are not getting the support they need to complete the A-G coursework.
“Our education systems urgently need to invest more in our students of color,” Valenzuela-Stookey said.
As Robinson neared graduation in the early days of the pandemic, she said everyone, even teachers, seemed to lose track of how to prepare students for college and life after high school.
But long before the pandemic, the district was struggling to prepare Black students to meet their A-G requirements and be ready for higher education, according to Ratmony Yee, assistant superintendent of educational services for Victor Valley Union High.
Robinson’s mother, Crystal Francisco, says that she is proud of how hard her daughter works to earn her own money. But she concurs that if Heritage had been around, Robinson might have gone straight to college.
“She probably would have gone a different way,” said Francisco.
Of 1,766 high schools in California, about half graduated more than 56% of students lacking the required college preparatory courses.
Fewer than 2 out of 10 students met A-G rates in 2023 in many northern counties, such as Lake, Del Norte, Plumas, Lassen, Nevada, Tehama, Trinity. Just 3 out of 10 students in Kern, Merced, Tulare and Kings counties met the requirements. That compares to the Bay Area in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Marin counties where more than 5 out of 10 students met A-G requirements.
Improving low A-G completion rates has been a longtime goal of both educators and state policymakers, but it’s a problem that resists easy answers or quick fixes, said Sherrie Reed, executive director of the California Education Lab at UC Davis and a researcher with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), an independent research nonprofit affiliated with several California universities.
The idea of simply aligning the state’s minimum high school requirements with A-G requirements hasn’t gained steam because of the concern that it would result in fewer students graduating, said Mayra Lara, the director of Southern California partnerships and engagement with Ed Trust-West.
The details of A-G requirements can be arcane, especially for students and parents who are not familiar with the college admissions process.
The state requires students to complete a minimum of 13 courses to receive a high school diploma.
But to attend a UC or CSU requires that a student takes 15 courses in seven areas: history, English, math, science, foreign language, arts and an elective. Each category has its own letter, A-G, which is where the requirements get their name.
These courses overlap with high school requirements, but they are also more rigorous. For instance, three years of English are required to graduate from high school, while A-G eligibility requires four years. Only one of those years can include English as a Second Language or English Language Development — courses that English learners are often enrolled in.
Low grades are a common way students fall off the A-G track. A “D” is considered a passing grade for a high school diploma, but A-G classes require at least a “C” to count as eligible.
The state, instead, has offered carrots for districts working on improving poor A-G rates, especially those that have a large marginalized student population, such as those who are low-income, English learners, homeless or have a disability. In 2021-22, the state set aside over $547 million for the A-G Completion Improvement Grant Program. The state has also pushed dual enrollment and career technical education to the high school curriculum, both of which can help students meet their A-G requirements.
Progress has been slow. The number of students who have met A-G requirements statewide has ticked up just shy of four points over the last six years.
Understanding why any given student may or may not meet A-G requirements requires examining what is happening in a particular region or district, as well as disparities within schools.
“The answer is that it is all of that,” said Reed. “No one factor accounts for it.”
Some students said that graduating without meeting A-G requirements sent them the message that they were not college material.
Brock Wooster-Mills, 20, said he felt “doomed to fail” as a student with a disability attending Liberty High School in Bakersfield, where 49% of students do not meet A-G requirements.
Partial hearing loss had affected Wooster-Mills’ ability to speak and follow lessons in elementary school. But even when his hearing improved, his counselors in the Kern High School District wouldn’t allow him to transfer into required A-G courses such as French and geometry.
He remembers one special education teacher telling his class that they likely wouldn’t even attend a community college, but Wooster-Mills said he always knew he was capable of more. He enrolled in Bakersfield College in 2021, the fall after he graduated.
He’s now in his sixth semester, but his lack of academic confidence and inadequate preparation continue to dog him. In high school, he had never been taught how to write an essay. He had never studied a foreign language, which made Spanish daunting. He failed the first time he took it.
“I feel like I’m still behind,” he said. “I wasn’t taught what I was supposed to be taught.”
Researchers say that preparing students for college is increasingly important for the American economy. By 2031, 72% of jobs will require a college degree or post-secondary education such as an associate degree, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
Most high schools in the state — 91.4% of traditional district schools, according to PACE — do offer a full slate of A-G coursework that put them on track for college. But the degree of access students get to those courses or support, once they have enrolled, varies greatly, resulting in wide disparities between groups of students.
View the map to see the percentage of students in each high school who graduate without A-G required courses.
PACE released a series of briefs and reports on the A-G completion rates in summer 2023, noting that access to rigorous coursework — whether dual enrollment, Advanced Placement or other college preparatory courses — can profoundly change the trajectory of a student’s life. These courses not only set students up for admission to college, but make it more likely that a student will pursue college in the first place.
Researchers found that some high schools do not offer the full range of A-G courses. In 2018-19, 2.5% of schools offered no A-G courses, and another 6% only offered some A-G courses. The list also includes small and rural schools that struggle to hire teachers who are qualified to teach A-G required classes in fields such as math, science or foreign language.
But 84% of schools that do not offer a full range of A-G courses are charter schools focused primarily on credit recovery for students at risk of not graduating from high school. Charter schools tend to be outliers in both directions; schools with the highest and lowest A-G rates — where fewer than 40% or greater than 80% of students meet A-G requirement — tend to be charters.
Adelanto High is a part of Victor Valley Union High School District, which serves communities in the High Desert, including Victorville. Cheap, abundant land attracts residents priced out of the Southern California housing market, but there is little economic opportunity. Unemployment is high, and so is the poverty rate.
“The kids get stuck here, because there’s a cycle of poverty,” said Aleka Jackson-Jarrell, the coordinator of the Heritage program at Adelanto High.
Educators in Victor Valley Union High say that beyond ensuring that students have all of their options open to them upon graduation, it is not their role to choose a path for students. Military or trade school are options celebrated at the school, but educators tell students that a bachelor’s degree will be key for most students who aim to earn better wages and escape the cycle of poverty.
“Money talks,” said Yee, assistant superintendent of instructional services for Victor Valley Union High.
District leaders say ensuring that students meet their A-G requirements opens up two key options for students: being eligible to apply for a CSU or UC school, and also having the preparation to succeed at a community college.
Like much of inland California, the rate of students completing their A-G is low in Victor Valley Union High. In 2016-17, 13% of students in the district completed their A-G coursework, but it has been improving: that number rose to 29% last year.
Victor Valley Union High has been making districtwide changes that administrators say are key to putting more students on track for A-G completion.
Scheduling is important, Yee said. Creating a master schedule that prioritizes disabled students or English learners ensures these students aren’t missing A-G coursework because of a scheduling conflict. Some schools also build tutoring into daily schedules for struggling students.
The district studied students’ transcripts to figure out how to improve their chances of meeting A-G requirements. For instance, they found that students who took foreign language classes as freshmen or sophomores were more likely to fulfill this requirement, because they had time to retake classes to make up for any poor grades. Students are now required to begin their foreign language courses by sophomore year.
Victor Valley Union High also rolled out two programs aimed specifically at groups of students that were struggling the most: Black students and long-term English learners.
The Heritage program, aimed at Black students like MarQuan Thornton, was piloted in 2022-23 at Adelanto High. Beginning sophomore year, every Black student in this High Desert school is automatically enrolled in this program that ensures students are prepared for graduation as well as college and a career.
Thornton said the program has helped him, even ensuring that he made up classes he struggled with his sophomore year. He now boasts a 3.7 GPA.
A-G completion rates for Black students at his high school improved. In 2021-22, 6% of Black students met their A-G. The following year, when Heritage began, that number jumped to 26%.
Because of its early success, the program is not only being rolled out at other campuses in the district, but is being used as a model for Legacy, a program aimed at long-term English learners.
Students in both Heritage and Legacy are sorted in four groups. Level 1 students are on track to graduate from high school with A-G requirements, while Level 4 students may be in danger of not graduating from high school at all. The coordinators hold monthly sessions with each group on topics ranging from how to fill out the FAFSA form or make up failed classes to basic life skills that students approaching adulthood need. Students also visit college campuses.
Parents are invited for workshops to school so that they can understand the importance of A-G classes and learn how to support — and perhaps badger — their children into staying on track.
Heritage coordinator Jackson-Jarrell said that having a background similar to her students’ helps her connect with them. She dropped out of high school when she was younger. She tells students that earning degrees — starting with an associate degree and ultimately obtaining a doctorate — helped her go from making $4.25 an hour to making six figures.
Her counterpart at Silverado High, Jose Velasco, teaches Spanish and runs the Legacy program. Like many of his students, Velasco is a child of immigrants whose first language was Spanish. He checks in to make sure students have access to bilingual aides so that they can understand the content in their college preparatory classes, such as geometry or history.
When Heritage first began, Jackson-Jarrell experienced pushback from non-Black teachers, parents and students questioning the need for a program focused solely on one group of students and pointing to other programs such as AVID, that focused on college and career readiness.
“We were hit with questions like, ‘Why is this program just for Black students? It’s not fair,’” she said.
Jackson-Jarrell would tell them that the data was showing that overwhelmingly, Black students need the most support meeting A-G requirements and that they have unique needs and challenges that Heritage addresses. When students visit college campuses, they try to imagine themselves fitting in. Not seeing Black students on campus can reinforce the idea that they don’t belong on a college campus.
“They’re looking for themselves,” said Jackson-Jarrell. “They feel like they don’t belong.”
So, Heritage will often ensure that when they visit campuses, they can meet directly with students from the Black student resource centers. This upcoming spring, Heritage students are invited on a tour through the American South, visiting historically Black colleges and universities. Legacy makes a point of visiting with Latino student groups on campus for similar purposes.
Jackson-Jarrell said that programs like Heritage and Legacy are important for the economic development of the community and hopes to see more programs like them in other districts in the High Desert.
Superintendent Carl Coles concurs. Increasing the rigor of students’ coursework and preparing them for higher education doesn’t just set students up for success, it improves the prospects of their families and the larger community. The district’s renewed focus on A-G requirements, he said, goes right to the core of why education is so important.
Coles said, “It really is so that every kid can live a life of purpose.”
This post has been updated to clarify a source's statement
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Louie Campos 2 months ago2 months ago
Excellent report. A question that I have is why are Asian students so successful? What model of success are they using that can be applied to the Latino or Black population. Of course no easy answers but something to probe. I came from a farmworker background and my parents always valued education particularly my mother. At the age of 33 I graduated from UCSC and at 35 completed my graduate work at UC Berkeley. … Read More
Excellent report. A question that I have is why are Asian students so successful? What model of success are they using that can be applied to the Latino or Black population. Of course no easy answers but something to probe.
I came from a farmworker background and my parents always valued education particularly my mother. At the age of 33 I graduated from UCSC and at 35 completed my graduate work at UC Berkeley. It was not easy but with hard work, the GI Bill and a ‘you can do it … or else wife ‘I did it. I’m 84 now and had a successful employment career. I was also a good athlete and Army boxer … taught me discipline.
Manny Barbara 2 months ago2 months ago
While working at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, I worked with numerous districts to adopt the A-G requirements as the default coursework for all students. Each district had unique challenges to address resistance , e.g board, union, principals etc but we were able to make significant inroads. In addition to our advocacy Ed Trust was a partner as well. Districts should adopt the A-G requirements as the default coursework. It will make a difference.
Mark 2 months ago2 months ago
Outside of California nobody knows or cares what A-G is. This is a California-specific term. Most colleges out of state -- whether public or private -- require a certain number of semester credits in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies which varies from college to college. So, if you're in CA and you don't complete the "A-G" at your high school, it doesn't preclude you from going to literally any other college in the country, … Read More
Outside of California nobody knows or cares what A-G is. This is a California-specific term. Most colleges out of state — whether public or private — require a certain number of semester credits in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies which varies from college to college. So, if you’re in CA and you don’t complete the “A-G” at your high school, it doesn’t preclude you from going to literally any other college in the country, just as long as you have enough semester credits of the 4 main subjects for the colleges you’re applying to.
Are HS counselors even aware of the existence of colleges out of state?
Ryan Smith 2 months ago2 months ago
A great article that shines a light on an important topic! Here is a piece I wrote about what can be done about it: https://www.ryandsmithedd.com/post/half-of-california-s-high-school-graduates-can-t-attend-a-four-year-college-or-university-what-can
Lurker 2 months ago2 months ago
Note that technically you can still be admitted to CSU/UC without satisfying A-G via admission by exception (https://www.ucop.edu/enrollment-services/policies/a-by-e-guidelines-april2020.pdf for UC and https://casetext.com/regulation/california-code-of-regulations/title-5-education/division-5-board-of-trustees-of-the-california-state-universities/chapter-1-california-state-university/subchapter-3-admission-requirements/article-6-admission-of-undergraduate-applicants-not-otherwise-eligible/section-40900-general-exceptions for CSU).
Stephen Hinkle 2 months ago2 months ago
It is time to end racial oppression and parental income oppression in education policy. The statistics are atrocious. Something needs to be done about this. I think that more could be done both in terms of curriculum, in terms of assessment, and how colleges select people.
James Espinoza 2 months ago2 months ago
Emily,
Your article is powerful and I’ve shared it with our staff, peers, and our student focus groups for learning and reflection towards understanding why we are doing what we’re doing together, how it is so urgent, and where may we share with others to help make changes in systems to close equity gaps. Thanks for your team’s efforts and brilliance in all you do.
Respectfully,
James Espinoza
Principal, Middle College High School, SBCUSD
Bruce Ross 2 months ago2 months ago
Unless something has changed, the Master Plan for Higher Education envisions the top third of students attending CSU or UC directly.
So, big picture, if 44 percent of students complete their a-g and are eligible, isn’t that about par for the expectations of the higher-ed system? (Obviously lagging schools should set themselves some goals.)
Alicia Frangos 2 months ago2 months ago
I completely agree that we should help high school students meet A-G requirements, but we should support and guide all students who don’t meet them to enroll in one of our excellent California community colleges. Additionally, all students should consider a community college in order to save money and have an excellent education in smaller classes and with more guidance and opportunity to explore their goals.
el 2 months ago2 months ago
From exploring this question in my own district, we have seen the reasons to be multifactorial, and sometimes shifting in time. I'm curious what the data shows, and how it might vary between rural and urban high schools. Is there a particular requirement that is most often not met? How often are students derailed by D grades versus never enrolling in the class? Are these students falling off the track as sophomores or as seniors? What … Read More
From exploring this question in my own district, we have seen the reasons to be multifactorial, and sometimes shifting in time. I’m curious what the data shows, and how it might vary between rural and urban high schools.
Is there a particular requirement that is most often not met? How often are students derailed by D grades versus never enrolling in the class? Are these students falling off the track as sophomores or as seniors? What classes are they enrolling in instead?
Do students and families know about A-G as freshmen such that they are aware that they are on track or not? Are there incentives or recognition we can offer to A-G completers that will help make it important to everyone, including students who have already decided for themselves that they will be heading straight for the workforce or attending community college?
In my mind, students who won’t be continuing with more education benefit from the content of A-G even more than students who plan to go on to college, since this is where they plan to end their education.
Renae L Skarin 2 months ago2 months ago
The percentage of English learners does not include those who have been redesignated as fully English proficient. However, this still surfaces gross inequities that need to be addressed.
Ellen Wheeler 2 months ago2 months ago
This story breaks my heart. Thanks for spotlighting this very important issue.
Carol Bender 2 months ago2 months ago
A good part of the problem is that the state dropped the minimum requirements for high school graduation. Students are also not held back when they do not perform at grade level. While it is important to help students that are struggling in a variety of ways, it is important not to "dumb down" the curriculum to improve statistics. There needs to be more parental involvement with regard to their students' scheduling of … Read More
A good part of the problem is that the state dropped the minimum requirements for high school graduation. Students are also not held back when they do not perform at grade level. While it is important to help students that are struggling in a variety of ways, it is important not to “dumb down” the curriculum to improve statistics.
There needs to be more parental involvement with regard to their students’ scheduling of classes each year, as well as making sure their students are on track. Often there are very few parents attending these meetings where such information as A-G requirements are explained along with what the minimum requirements are to attend state universities.
This article does point out that part of the reason everyone isn’t put in A-G classes to begin with is because the graduation completion rate would decrease. There is only so much that can be accomplished with special programs and tutoring if parents are not involved in the plan. If students fail a grade, they should repeat it. Tutoring should again be offered.
If high school students are struggling to pass college level coursework, it makes sense to encourage them to take the path to Junior College. As students mature, they are likely more able to be successful taking those courses in a Junior College setting than they were unable to be successful at in high school.
It is not necessarily better to go straight to a 4 year college ….especially if students were struggling with college level courses. Not only does this increase the risk of failure…..it adds to a mountain of debt for those that already have little resources.
Yes, there are grants etc for tuition. But no one seems to talk about the huge expense of housing/food/incidentals. Never before have we seen so much “food insecurity” at 4 year schools. It is far more economical to live at home and attend community college and later transfer to a 4 year university.
Additionally, students are just that much more mature and prepared to live away from home and be responsible. Unfortunately too many high school seniors (and adults) see going to a community college as a step down, that attending a 4 year college is a sign that a student is smarter and more likely to be successful. That is far from true. Perhaps the smartest student is one who attends Jr. college and then transfers for just 2 years to a 4 year university/college. They won’t have as much student debt. THAT is smart.
Student debt is a major U.S. crisis as well all know. We need to stop pushing ill-prepared student into 4 year universities. California needs to promote the Junior College system way more than it does. Additionally, in Jr. College class sizes are generally smaller than those at California universities, which allows the students more interaction and help from teachers and staff.
More focus should be on elevating the worth of our wonderful Junior College system.
Frances O'Neill Zimmerman 2 months ago2 months ago
EdSource does such important work by providing this specific and startling information. Thank you.
California will reap the whirlwind if it does not pay attention to its undereducated majority of young people of all races and ethnicities. It is shocking that we cannot seem to connect the dots between a prosperous secure future and an educated populace.
Profe 2 months ago2 months ago
As a history teacher at UC (and former member of BOARS), I find it really disheartening that this article about A-G requirements doesn’t include any information about the history/social sciences requirement. A-G adds up to 7 subject areas–but the authors only list the requirements for six.
Replies
Emma Gallegos 2 months ago2 months ago
Hi Profe,
Thanks for reading! We did mention history in the section “What are A-G requirements?” You probably saw it missing from the graphic that shows what a student needs to complete their A-G requirement once they’ve satisfied their minimum high school graduation requirements. This is the only case where the high school requirements are stricter: graduating requires three years and A-G just two. So it was left off the chart. But I promise we didn’t forget it!
Maya K 2 months ago2 months ago
"Low grades are a common way students fall off the A-G track. A “D” is considered a passing grade for a high school diploma, but A-G classes require at least a “C” to count as eligible" Focusing on graduation rates does the under resourced a huge disservice. I think CA should return to the Algebra I for all in 8th grade mandate which used to be in place for a brief moment pre-common core. This would … Read More
“Low grades are a common way students fall off the A-G track. A “D” is considered a passing grade for a high school diploma, but A-G classes require at least a “C” to count as eligible”
Focusing on graduation rates does the under resourced a huge disservice.
I think CA should return to the Algebra I for all in 8th grade mandate which used to be in place for a brief moment pre-common core. This would allow students an extra year in high school if they don’t get a C or above in 8th to retake it.
SFUSD caused a lot of damage implying that there was a huge failure rate for the last class who took Algebra I in 8th
There was not.
The grade distribution (CPRA https://bit.ly/sfusdmathdata ) was:
1092 A
568 B
370 C
229 D
100 F
Total : 2359
If the 329 students who got Fs and Ds in 8th had the extra year in 9th to retake it would give them more time to meet the A-G requirements in Math.
Skye Knight Dent 2 months ago2 months ago
Thought you were history, Emma. Nice to see you back. If the students are not up to par on English, that is the fault of the admin and teachers, not the students. Also, even though Kaiser has clinics for Zoom Fear Depression Syndrome, no one in the district talks about how Zoom fractures your vision and makes it hard for one to remember what one reads. I had it for three months and … Read More
Thought you were history, Emma. Nice to see you back. If the students are not up to par on English, that is the fault of the admin and teachers, not the students. Also, even though Kaiser has clinics for Zoom Fear Depression Syndrome, no one in the district talks about how Zoom fractures your vision and makes it hard for one to remember what one reads. I had it for three months and was able to get rid of it. But, if no one tells you about it, you don’t know why you are sick. Look up This Is Your Brain On Zoom for the best info.
Jim 2 months ago2 months ago
The point of “tracking” was to surround aspiring college students with like minded friends. Friends have much more power to shape a high school student’s life than any counselor and most parents.