Dual enrollment, which allows high school students to take college courses for credit, has the potential to be a powerful lever for the success of California’s high school and postsecondary students. Early exposure to college courses sets students on a trajectory to both attend and be successful in college. However, this opportunity is not widely available for all high school students, especially Black, Latinx, and Native American students.

The Black Student Success Panel Presentation, hosted by SSPI, highlights strategies and achievements advancing equity for Black students. Panelists share insights on graduation rates, college readiness, and systemic barriers, alongside success stories showcasing culturally responsive teaching, mentorship, and family engagement. Innovative solutions, such as mental health support and college readiness programs, are paired with updates on impactful state policies. The event emphasizes collaboration between schools, families, and communities, ending with a Q&A to inspire collective action for inclusive and equitable education.

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Facilitated in collaboration with CAAASA, this network focuses on testing systems change processes to improve learning, achievement, and educational attainment outcomes for Black students.

This effort is supported by the Campaign for College Opportunity’s 2019 report on the State of Higher Education for Black Californians, which found that 63% of Black community college students do not earn a degree or certificate, or transfer within six years. Moreover, according to the report, California community colleges transfer only 3% of Black students within two years, and only 35% within six years.

Supporting the Educational Success of Black Children in California, examine how the nearly 1 million Black youth in California are faring from preschool through college and reveals the distressing disparities that newly released state and national data show are persisting at all levels of their educational journey. The report also highlights the groundbreaking efforts underway to reverse these trends in California and close achievement and opportunity gaps for African American students.

This report focuses on the use of suspension and other forms of exclusionary discipline impacting the education of Black children and youth in California public schools. We report on publicly available data from the 2018– 2019 school year, which is the most recent data available. These data were reported by local educational agencies (LEAs) to the state government. 

Included are recommendations for Improving School Success on Suspensions.

Public statements, in and of themselves, are meaningless. Hearing circles, listening sessions, and townhalls, were helpful, but they failed to address the depth of anger, frustration, and exhaustion that was and is palpable particularly within the Black community. And while all these approaches were positive steps forward, they represent mere first steps in a long journey. The racial inequities in our society today are the byproduct of hundreds of years of policies, systems, and culture. The challenges facing Black people and students will not be resolved solely through statements and listening sessions. Instead, these tools must be intentionally adjoined with action steps.

California high schools graduate Black students at lower rates than all other racial/ethnic groups, and do not prepare two out of three Black high school graduates for college. The California State University (CSU) only graduates 9% of Black freshmen after four years and less than half (43%) in six years

California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources.

For more than 50 years, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) has been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, professionals, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact Black children and their families. A trusted partner in developing   and delivering strengths-based, culturally relevant, evidence-based, and trauma informed resources that respond to the unique strengths and needs of Black children around issues including early childhood education, health and wellness, literacy, and family engagement.