Opinion: California colleges must stop blaming K-12 schools for student preparedness

"The latest version of this complaint took shape in the recent UC San Diego Faculty Senate report that 1 in 8 students arrive in need of remediation in math, among other deficiencies. A media frenzy quickly followed suit. As a UC faculty researcher who has studied student preparation and success for the past two decades, I'm simultaneously encouraged by the renewed focus on a longstanding problem and dismayed by the instinct toward blame. This problem will only be solved if we move from finger-pointing to cross-segment collaboration."

"First, we must fully acknowledge the role of the pandemic. The students highlighted in the UCSD report spent critical schooling years online, often with teachers who had uneven support, and in households with varying degrees of internet connectivity and parents who were navigating public-health fears, job loss and economic uncertainty. None of the consequences should surprise us widespread learning loss, especially for students already facing structural disadvantages."

"While the UCSD report nods to this reality, it falters by recommending a troubling new shortcut the university could use to identify unprepared students labeling those who attended LCFF+ schools as inherently less ready. LCFF refers to the state's Local Control Funding Formula, which sends extra money to schools that serve high-need students. These schools enroll the highest concentrations of low-income students, English learners and foster youth tho"

Many first-year University of California students arrive academically unprepared, with about one in eight requiring math remediation. Pandemic-era online schooling produced widespread learning loss, especially for students facing structural disadvantages and households with limited connectivity or economic instability. Students in more affluent communities experienced fewer disruptions, widening opportunity gaps. Labeling students who attended LCFF-funded schools as inherently less ready is a problematic shortcut. LCFF directs extra funds to schools serving high concentrations of low-income students, English learners, and foster youth. Solving the problem requires cross-segment collaboration with TK–12 partners to address root causes and build shared strategies.

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