Exploring Alternative High School and Community College Partnerships

In recent years, California has made important investments to aid public high schools and community colleges to improve students’ transitions to and through postsecondary education, with a specific emphasis on traditionally underrepresented students. The California community colleges have embarked on several such initiatives, including the Basic Skills Initiative, the Basic Skills Student Outcomes and Transformation Program, the Student Success and Support Program, the Student Equity Program, and the California Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative. Most recently, they have launched a system-wide institutional redesign effort, the California Community Colleges Guided Pathways, which aims to provide clear, well-structured, and supported pathways into and through college for all students, at scale.