Human capital investment is central to raising wages. This chapter describes trends in human capital investment and educational attainment. It reviews the evidence of the wage returns to educational attainment and to early childhood education, K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce development policies and programs. Finally, this…

Great teachers have the ability to transform and enrich the lives and living standards of Americans. According to recent research, a student's kindergarten teacher has long-lasting influence on important lifetime outcomes, such as future earnings. These effects are so important that the difference between having an above-average kindergarten…

The unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent in September, falling below 8 percent for the first time since January 2009. Furthermore, the share of working-age Americans who are employed increased to 58.7 percent, the highest level since May 2010. Employers added 114,000 jobs last month, and an average of more than 145,000 over the past three…

As the college class of 2011 graduates in the aftermath of the Great Recession, some graduates are struggling to find a good job--or any job at all. As a result, many are questioning whether the time and expense of college was worth it. The authors try to answer this question by comparing the economic benefits of a college degree to its costs, as…

The May employment numbers broke from the positive news of the last few months and revealed weakness in the job market. Not surprisingly to most Americans, these numbers indicate the job market remains tough--particularly for the nation's young adults. College seniors graduating this spring will enter a job market vastly different than the one…

The Hamilton Project's mission is advancing opportunity, prosperity, and growth. On both the individual and society-wide levels, a strong public education system enables Americans to achieve those objectives. Indeed, education has historically been the great equalizer and offered students of all backgrounds not the promise of equal outcomes but…