Given the importance of a college degree for both individual and societal economic prosperity, policymakers and educators are focused on strengthening the path to college beyond college entry. In this report, we synthesize the existing literature on four factors key to educational attainment—aspirations and beliefs, academic preparation, knowledge and information, and fortitude and resilience—and the implications of each.

Public education in California shows progress, yet challenges remain in providing equal opportunities for all students. Poverty rates persist, and schools are highly segregated by race, ethnicity, family income, and language. While student outcomes are improving, significant achievement gaps exist, and California students perform worse than their peers in other states. Career technical education programs provide opportunities for diverse students, but there are gaps in tracking students' educational trajectories.

This brief examines the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations in CA. It argues that current evaluation methods are not effective, and that alternative methods of measuring teacher effectiveness, such as peer evaluations and student surveys, should be explored. The brief also discusses the potential consequences of over-reliance on test scores, such as teaching to the test and neglecting non-tested subjects. It concludes that teacher evaluations should be designed to provide useful feedback for professional development, rather than being used solely for accountability purposes.