University of California Office of the President

Informational update from UCOP

March 10, 2005

UC WORKS TO SECURE SUPPORT FOR ACADEMIC PREPARATION PROGRAMS, ORGANIZES COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO EVALUATE PERFORMANCE

As legislative budget deliberations begin in Sacramento, the University of California is working to make the case for its K-12 academic preparation programs and to demonstrate the payoff California receives for investing in these programs.

UC’s academic preparation programs help put the necessary tools for college preparation into the hands of poor and disadvantaged California students, and for many of them, these programs make the critical difference for college attendance.

In these programs, UC faculty, staff, and students partner with other educational and community institutions to help improve the academic achievement of low-income, first-generation-college students in California public schools, particularly low-performing disadvantaged schools. Tutoring, mentoring, after-school programs, test preparation, and curriculum development are among the tools these programs provide.

Funding for UC’s K-12 academic preparation programs has been cut substantially during the state’s budget crisis of recent years. For 2005-06, the governor’s budget proposes the withdrawal of $17 million in one-time funding that was provided at the end of the 2004-05 budget process to sustain state funding for the programs.

While UC has committed $12 million in internal funds to preserve the programs, regardless of state funding levels, the University is arguing that the programs remain an essential investment for the state as well. UC President Robert C. Dynes has been discussing the importance of the $17 million state contribution in speeches, community visits, and legislative hearings.

“The economic and social future of California will be shaped by the extent to which children from all sectors of society attend good schools and have broad access to a college education,” Dynes recently told the state Senate and Assembly budget subcommittees on education. “These programs prepare first-generation-college, low-income students attending low-performing schools for success in college and the world of work through educational partnerships with our colleagues in the CSU, community colleges, and K-12. These programs are working.”

Students participating in UC academic preparation programs have been shown to exceed peers in their schools in completing the rigorous “a-g” course pattern required for UC and CSU eligibility, in taking the SAT I and SAT II exams, and in enrolling at California public two-year and four-year colleges. These students also have demonstrated higher persistence rates at UC than peers from their high schools. One recent study found that participants in the Early Academic Outreach Program were twice as likely to complete the “a-g” college preparatory course work as non-participants were, after controlling for self-selection by students.

However, various constituencies with a role to play in the funding of academic preparation programs have continued to ask questions about how best to measure the performance of these programs relative to the state’s investment. To help answer these questions, UC has organized a work group that includes representatives from the state Department of Finance, legislative committees, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and other constituencies.

The work group has begun meeting to identify key questions and methodologies in the evaluation of academic preparation programs and to discuss findings about the performance of the programs. The group hopes to complete its work by mid-spring, in time to inform final state budget decisions in May and June.

“We want to work with all of the interested parties to understand their issues with respect to academic preparation programs, hear their questions, and address those questions in a constructive way,” said Winston C. Doby, UC vice president for academic preparation and educational partnerships. “We believe these programs are vital not only to the futures of the participating students, but to the economic and social future of the state as a whole. We hope this collaborative evaluation process helps forge consensus on that point.”

In addition to convening the work group, UC representatives and other advocates for academic preparation programs will continue visiting state legislators and representatives of the Schwarzenegger Administration to demonstrate support for these programs.

Meanwhile, UC also is working with educational partners in Washington to protect funding for federal programs to improve academic achievement and college preparation. The president’s federal budget proposes the elimination of funding for federal education programs that serve students in California, including GEAR UP, Talent Search, and Upward Bound. It is too early to know the fate of these programs, but UC leaders have met with key members of the California delegation about this issue, and many of them have expressed support for the programs.

In January, the UC Board of Regents adopted a resolution stating that academic preparation programs are fundamental to the UC mission. The resolution is available at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/aar/jane.pdf.

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