Business leaders gave the University of California a vote of confidence in a statewide survey of executives.

While most survey participants said the state’s schools need major reforms, 86 percent gave the UC system the highest ratings: 61 percent said the UC did a good job, and 25 percent said it did an excellent job.

The California State University and the community college systems also earned favorable grades. Of those surveyed, 79 percent said the CSU system did an excellent or good job, and 68 percent rated the community colleges as excellent or good.

Only 14 percent of the business people rated the performance of the state's high schools as good and not one gave the high schools an excellent rating.

Survey participants determined reading, personal responsibility, work ethic, communication skills and writing as high priorities needed to develop a productive California work force. But few believed the K-12 schools are successfully teaching those skills.

The Sacramento-based California Foundation for Commerce and Education sponsored the statewide Internet survey of 1,342 business executives with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundations. Released in March, the survey has a margin of error of 2.6 percent.

To read more about the survey, visit http://www.cfcepolicy.org/Program

 

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