Data showing what students earn after attending higher education institutions have become increasingly available, bolstering calls from policymakers and advocates that government financial aid programs should be tied to those outcomes. Often overlooked, however, is that these data and policies usually reflect the earnings of only students who…

Academic support services such as coaching and mentoring programs have shown the most promise, but only when they are implemented in a very proactive manner--when they provide students with personalized follow-up and attention. Unfortunately, these programs are often expensive, making them hard to implement or scale at a regional or national…

This report provides students, parents, and others with employment, earnings, and other outcome information on graduates of Arkansas's state-supported public institutions of higher education. This report is intended to help readers make informed decisions about education and career choices. As specified in Arkansas Act 852 of 2015, information…

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…

Over 20 years ago, during a period of high youth unemployment, Peter Kirby recommended that a system of traineeships be adopted for disadvantaged 16- and 17-year-olds. Growth in traineeships was initially slow until the mid-1990s, when rapid growth followed a series of reforms to traineeships. The reforms included the introduction of employer…

Dropouts pay a steep price for leaving high school without their diplomas. In terms of wages, unemployment rates, and career mobility, the grim statistics have been lamented for decades. Society also suffers--more crime and welfare, fewer tax dollars, and lower voter turnout. Not every dropout faces a bleak future. But on balance, the…

Researchers often identify degree effects by including degree attainment ("D") and years of schooling ("S") in a wage model, yet the source of independent variation in these measures is not well understood. We argue that "S" is negatively correlated with ability among degree-holders because the most able graduate the…

This study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Georgia, and examines how policies that increase school choice, such as the recently-enacted tuition tax credit scholarship program will provide large public benefits by increasing public school graduation rates. The study calculates the annual cost of Georgia dropouts caused by…

Estimates a high school diploma's effect on success in the labor market, aside from the effects of prior characteristics (race, gender, socioeconomic background, and academic achievement). Differences in unemployment and wages between teenagers with and without high school diplomas are mainly not attributable to differences in measured prior…

Human capital investment, in the form of education and training, is the key to improving labor market outcomes for high school leavers. GED certification provides an opportunity for education and training, but is no substitute for it. The GED credential is only a starting point. GED holders are not equivalent to high school graduates. (MLH)

Describes five patterns of student participation in vocational courses: (1) concentrators, (2) limited concentrators, (3) concentrators/explorers, (4) explorers, and (5) incidental/personals. Highlights some equity issues. (Author/CH)

Uses individual-level 1990 census data to estimate multinomial logit models (featuring county-level averages) of young men's and women's educational enrollment and employment behavior. Estimates indicate that high-school leavers are sensitive to earnings opportunities. For graduates, increases in current earnings modestly reduce enrollments and…

Wages and salaries are influenced by many factors, including the employer's perception of the productivity and the availability of workers with different levels of education. They are also affected by economic conditions in the industries that typically employ workers with different levels of education. The ratio of annual earnings of high school…

In April 1980, Vocational Education Data System representatives at each of the seven community colleges in Hawaii surveyed students who, during 1978-79, graduated from vocational education programs or left these programs prior to graduation. Questionnaires were mailed to 6,629 former students, requesting information on current educational and/or…

Trends in economics in the United States show a strong positive relationship between educational attainment and productivity growth. The earnings differential between those with more education and those with less education reflects the fact that education raises productivity rather than the fact that more productive students go on to pursue more…