California has the world’s largest system of higher education, but too many students who enter it don’t achieve their education goals. California is implementing a series of major reforms to promote postsecondary success, including reforming remedial education, increasing access for qualified students, and addressing college affordability. It is also beginning to focus on workers in the workplace who don’t have college degrees. Gov. Newsom is targeting “near completers” – the 60,000 students who started at the University of California and the California State University, but never completed their studies since 2000. Former Gov. Jerry Brown initiated an online-only community college to serve “stranded workers” who find themselves in the workplace with out the skills they need to advance. EdSource will track these reforms — and identify what’s working, and what’s not.
