Giving Compass' Take:

• Less than half of the Class of 2019 in Los Angeles are on track to graduate with grades that qualify them to apply to California colleges.

• Where can donors help with school resources? 

• Read about how some colleges are using winter break for career advising. 

Less than half of the Class of 2019 in Los Angles are eligible for the state’s public universities, the latest school district projections show.

As of March, 49 percent of L.A. Unified’s 34,734 prospective graduates are on track to pass all of their “A-G” college preparation courses with Cs or better. This means that less than half of the class currently have the grades to qualify for the University of California and California State University school systems. These in-state schools are a popular option for graduates, especially as about 4 in 5 L.A. Unified students are minorities from low-income families — some first-time college-goers.

It was more than five years since scores of students, parents and community members blasted the district for how their schools — many attended by minority and low-income students — lacked the high expectations and access to A-G courses that more affluent neighborhoods had. An “A-G for All” resolution passed soon after in 2005, laying the groundwork for full districtwide access to these courses starting with the class of 2016.

L.A. Unified’s progress is moving “not nearly rapidly enough,” Melvoin acknowledges. But he cited increased transparency as one success, now that both sets of grad rates are reported. Last year’s launch of the Open Data Portal, which Melvoin spearheaded, is also getting more data to the public, though there’s still more work to be done to make the data more parent-friendly.

Transparency is important as L.A. Unified vies for new revenues, he said. Here are some other efforts to boost A-G pass rates that are being pursued or suggested:

  1. Credit recovery courses.
  2. Getting to a C graduation requirement over time.
  3. Replicating good practices of other schools.
  4. Early intervention.
  5. More parent engagement.
  6. More local autonomy.

Read the full article about keeping Los Angeles students on track to graduate by Taylor Swaak at The 74