Higher Education Policy Program
The higher education policy program pairs flexibly paced e-learning on California’s public higher education system and the students they serve with in-person convenings and learning community discussions that build on the online content.
The Road Ahead
Independent Study
Learning community participants will have access to an online content consisting of five learning sections using the LearnDash Learning Management System (LMS).
In preparation for each section’s corresponding in-person convenings, participants will have the flexibility to determine when they access the content using the LMS.
The content sections are intended to build foundational California higher education policy knowledge and support related skill development.
The five sections of the course include:
Delve into the ways eligibility, access, and equity for California’s higher education learners have evolved over time.
Learning Objectives for this Section
To develop:
An understanding of the public interest benefits of higher education, including the interest of the State in making higher education available to Californians;
Familiarity with California’s demographic trends, our higher education student population, and factors that influence the size and makeup of this population; and
An awareness of the implications of these demographics for higher education in California and for our economy and society, including equity gaps in access, opportunities, and outcomes.
Get to know the three segments of California’s public postsecondary education system, including the history and the governance dynamics that shape the policy environment.
Learning Objectives for this Section
To develop:
An awareness of California’s historical approach to higher education and how that history, along with federal and state laws, court decisions, California initiatives and segment decisions, has influenced higher education policy and practice over time;
An understanding of the current roles and responsibilities, governing structures, and powers of each segment, public and private, and other entities that take on governance and oversight functions within the higher education system;
An understanding of the historical context and vision behind California’s existing approach to and goals for higher education. Within that context, an understanding of the policy rationale for statewide higher education coordination and California’s coordination efforts to date; and
The ability to leverage an understanding of historic and current context and relationships into effective state policymaking.
Learn about the costs to attend each of the higher education segments and the institutional and state efforts to maintain access and make higher education affordable.
Learning Objectives for this Section
To develop:
An understanding of the meaning and role of affordability in college access and success, and an awareness of state-level policies and practices intended to support equitable affordability;
An understanding of the range of costs today’s students face to attend college, how those costs vary across institutions, and how students meet those costs, including the role of state, federal, and institutional financial aid and student lending practices;
Familiarity with federal, state, and institutional student financial aid programs and other efforts to help students pay college costs, how these programs have evolved, and their relationship to meeting students’ financial needs;
Awareness of strategies for reducing the cost of a college degree, ranging from incremental improvements to fundamental changes in how higher education is delivered; and
The ability to leverage an understanding of affordability challenges, the current student financial aid landscape, and related policy options to achieve legislative objectives.
Investigate higher education institution costs and funding streams, the role of state funding, and factors concerning each higher education segment that impact and influence state budget decisions.
Learning Objectives for this Section
To develop:
An understanding of how the state determines funding levels and associated funding policies for higher education operations and capital outlay, and how the state’s investment in higher education has changed over time;
An awareness of institutional costs, how the institutions set tuition and fee levels and associated aid amounts, and how they combine the resulting revenues with state funding and other sources to meet their costs;
An awareness of the fiscal and political dynamics that impact segment and institution budgeting and practices; and
The ability to leverage this understanding to pursue higher education priorities including via the budget process.
Explore student success, including how it has been measured over time and how lawmakers hold colleges accountable for outcomes.
Learning Objectives for this Section
To develop:
An understanding of how student success has been defined, measured, promoted, and studied over the years, and of the roles of faculty, staff, college leaders, and state entities in helping students succeed;
Familiarity with postsecondary student outcomes in California, including historical trends and current performance;
An understanding of the variety of policy tools available to foster student success and to hold institutions accountable for student outcomes and financial and administrative practices; and
The ability to leverage an understanding of outcomes, metrics, and accountability tools to achieve legislative objectives.
Social Events
In-person convenings will provide an opportunity to meet with other learning community participants and senior staff in the Legislature to build relationships and further explore the concepts and issues introduced in the online content. These events are organized to support relationship-building and open lines of inquiry.
Engagement with Experts
Interactive, inquiry-based activities and meetings with leading experts in the field, including fellow policy staff, researchers, practitioners and community stakeholders will create space to examine relevant data and practice in concert with policy expertise and the communities most affected by the policy decisions being made.
Participant Eligibility
Legislative Staff
Legislative staff working in the Capitol, particularly those who staff members on higher education policy.
Passionate About Higher Education Policy
Staff passionate about shaping higher education policy for future generations in California.
Hybrid Learning: Can Participate Two to Three Days a Month for Four Months
Those who can participate two to three days a month in hybrid learning for four months during the legislative recess (between September – December).
Continuing Education Units
Those who are interested in receiving eight continuing education units (CEUs) from the University of California, Davis, for completion of the course.
Already Enrolled in a Course?
If you are already enrolled in a course, you can login using the link below to resume learning.