ABSTRACT
This chapter untangles issues related to the causes and consequences of the decline in college access in California, comparing the state case to general trends in United States higher education. It explores California's legacy of equity in higher education, before examining certain trends in K—12 policy and public finance in relation to trends in access and racial/ethnic representation in the state system of higher education. The growing immigrant population coming across California's southern border has increased the percentage of the population that is undereducated. The chapter reviews certain policy developments in the state and considers the degree to which the liberal model is sustainable in the largest and one of the fastest-growing states in the country. It considers three key policy developments in California higher education: the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, the institutional capacity of the postsecondary system, and the rising cost of college for students and their families.
