How long did it take you to decide what you wanted to do in life? Or at least to study? A new report by a California task force encourages community colleges to have policies that give priority to students who pick a course of study and progress toward a degree.

The study found that after six years, 70 percent of degree-seeking students had not either earned a certificate or a degree, or transferred to a four-year university. The thought is that such students wander around the academic curriculum, withdrawing and taking courses multiple times, or not pursuing any specific degree plan.

I’ve seen this happen, and I look forward to seeing if policy changes have a measurable impact on the completion rate. And while high school requirements are much more prescribed, the report also made me think about high schools. How many high schools, or middle schools, explain to students what courses they will need if they want to go to college or enter a particular field? How many explain the same to families? Is it just a sheet of requirements and recommendations, or a more interactive process? What does your district do? –Rebecca St. Andrie