In this mixed methods phenomenology rooted in Social Cognitive Theory, a school district in Maryland is examined from an outsider's perspective to determine the degree to which structured post-secondary planning interventions by the district were successful in cultivating career decision resilience in its former students who were in their early…

This dissertation consists of two chapters, both of which study the wealth inequality using heterogenous agent general equilibrium model. In particular, the first chapter focuses on a government policy and its implications on wealth inequality. The second chapter incorporates cost to high return assets to generate realistic wealth mobility in the…

This dissertation consists of three empirical studies that explore the educational experiences and trajectories of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities. The first study uses longitudinal data from four large California school districts to examine the characteristics of long-term ELs (LTELs) and former ELs--those reclassified as…

While empirical studies on rural education have defined many of the socioeconomic factors associated with rural students nationally, there is a lack of definitive and comprehensive research defining the benefit or value of career technical education for rural California high school students. Consequently, this lack of research may in turn…

A majority of all high school students engage in the labor force by the time they complete their senior year. Few studies have investigated the long-term educational trajectories of student workers after high school graduation. Even fewer research studies have concerned themselves with ascriptive stratification patterns of the teenage labor…

This dissertation contains three chapters that explore various aspects of the economics of education, with a focus on higher education. In particular, the first two chapters deal with college major as it relates to earnings, occupational choice, and high school curriculum, while the third discusses the relationship between college-student match…

My dissertation consists of three chapters that focus on the economics of education. In particular I look at public school financing, gender discrimination in advising, and the effectiveness of out-of-school-time programs for disadvantaged schools. The first chapter analyzes the effect of an extremely large funding shock on Wyoming public schools…

Notwithstanding the astonishing growth in college enrollments, high school remains important to workforce entry. This fact is often buried by pronouncements about the primacy of U.S. higher education--in 2005, for example, 69% of high school graduates went on to college. In the meantime, a restructured economy has replaced unemployment with a form…

This study examined the educational experiences of marginalized, rural, white males at a small high school in the Midwest. The nine students in the study were interviewed over the course of one school year. The interviews, along with observations and document review, constituted the methods used in the study. The researcher utilized ethnographic…