The effects of youth transition programs on labor market outcomes of youth with disabilities

The process of “transitioning” to adulthood for youth with disabilities has long been recognized to be an important but understudied public policy concern. This paper evaluates the labor market effects of Virginia’s school-to-work vocational evaluation program, PERT. Using a unique panel data set containing more than a decade of labor market and service information, we provide the first-ever assessment of the long-term employment impacts of a transitioning program for youth with disabilities. Overall, the estimated effects are substantial: PERT has an estimated median quarterly rate of return of nearly 30%.     

The labor market outcomes of two forms of cross-border higher education degree programs between Malaysia and Japan

This paper examines the labor market outcomes of two different forms of cross-border higher education degree programs (i.e., study abroad vs. twinning) between Malaysia and Japan. Based on a new graduate survey, it examines whether there are differences in the labor market outcomes between the two programs and what other factors have significant effects on the labor market outcomes. We observed no significant differences in the labor market outcomes between the two programs. Instead, the degree fields, internship, and university rankings are significant for the first employment. For current work, post-graduation qualifications and skills such as English become important.     

The effect of grade retention on educational and labor market outcomes

Grade retention is a major issue in the ongoing debate over how to improve primary and secondary education in the United States. This paper examines the retention decision and its empirical effects using an economic framework. Within our model, the retention decision is endogenous with respect to such observables as dropping out of school and labor market earnings and this endogeneity needs to be accounted for in empirical work. In the empirical section of the paper we use the High School and Beyond (HSB) data set to examine the effects of retention on the probability of dropping out of high school and on labor market earnings several years after the student has entered the workforce. We account for the endogeneity of grade retention by using instrumental variables (IV) estimation where the key instrument is based on exogenous variation across states in kindergarten entry dates.     

The impact of labor market work and educational tracking on student educational outcomes: Evidence from Taiwan

This study empirically investigates how working while enrolled in high school affects educational outcomes, while accounting for self-selected educational tracking. Using a longitudinal survey of Taiwanese youth and exploiting the inter-zip-code geographic variations in youth-preferred industries, we find a negative effect of school-year work on educational achievement, and the negative marginal impact is much stronger for academic-track than for vocational-track students. An exogenous increase in school-year hours worked of 10 hours per week lowers college entrance scores by a 0.117 (0.083) standard deviation for academic-track (vocational-track) students. The negative impact of school-year work tends to be overstated if the endogeneity arising from educational tracking is not acknowledged—with upward biases as large as 16% and 30% for academic- and vocational-track students, respectively. Among subjects, math scores suffer most from working during the school year.     

Vocational training and labor market outcomes in the Philippines

The paper analyzes the labor market outcomes of graduates of post-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines. Using household data for 2015–2016, the results show significantly higher wages for TVET graduates relative to those who entered the job market with a secondary school education or below. However, individuals who both trained in TVET and pursued tertiary (university) education tend to have a lower wage than those with secondary school education or below. This counterintuitive result may be partly explained by the tendency for such dual-level individuals to complete the lowest level of TVET. Graduates of TVET are found more likely to be employed compared to individuals who only studied at secondary school or below as well as those who studied at the tertiary level.     

Do gains in test scores explain labor market outcomes?

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this article investigates whether students who made relatively large test score gains during high school had larger earnings 7 years after high school compared to students whose scores improved little. In models that control for pre-high school test scores, family background, and demographic characteristics, employed women who gain one standard deviation more than average are predicted to earn 9 percent more than average. These effects are even larger unconditional on employment status, indicating that test score gains influence both the employment status and earnings once employed. For men, however, test score gains are not significantly related to employment status or earnings, except for those men who have low initial test scores.     

The effects of additional education on the labor market experiences of two-year college alumni

Upon graduation from 2-year college occupational programs, most individuals either obtain employment or transfer to a 4-year college. This article examines the labor market implications of such a decision. To this end, the labor market experiences of two groups of 2-year college graduates (one subsample was characterized by terminal 2-year college degrees while the other was composed of 2-year college graduates who continued their educations at the 4-year college level) were compared. The data suggest that in both the short and longer run, the 4-year college graduates have more favorable labor market experiences than the 2-year college graduates. The data also indicate 2-year college graduates confront credential barriers which place serious constraints on their career potential.     

The outcomes question in teacher education

This article begins with the premise that it is possible to trace teacher education development and reform in terms of the major questions that have driven the field and the sometimes competing ways these questions have been constructed, debated, and enacted in research, policy, and practice. The author argues that currently “the outcomes question” is driving teacher education. Generally, the outcomes question includes debates about what impacts teacher education should be expected to have on teacher learning, professional practice, and student learning as well as debates about how, by whom, and for what purposes outcomes should be documented, demonstrated, and/or measured. The article identifies three major ways that the outcomes question in teacher education is being constructed in the research literature, the policy arena, and the media: outcomes as long term impact, outcomes as teacher test scores, and outcomes as professional performance. Each of these is analyzed in some detail, drawing on related analyses from policy and teacher education practice. Finally the article suggests several concerns about how the outcomes question is being constructed in teacher education, questioning some of the viewpoints that are being legitimized or undermined and drawing particular attention to the impact of these for a just and democratic society.     

Do school entry laws affect educational attainment and labor market outcomes?

Age based school entry laws force parents and educators to consider an important tradeoff: though students who are the youngest in their school cohort typically have poorer academic performance, on average, they have slightly higher educational attainment. In this paper we document that for a large cohort of California and Texas natives the school entry laws increased educational attainment of students who enter school early, but also lowered their academic performance while in school. However, we find no evidence that the age at which children enter school effects job market outcomes, such as wages or the probability of employment. This suggests that the net effect on adult labor market outcomes of the increased educational attainment and poorer academic performance is close to zero.     

A qualitative critique of teacher labor market studies

Qualitative studies of the teacher labor market suggest that problems and remedies generated by quantitative research fail to capture the most dynamic variables which are affecting the supply and demand of public school teachers. For example, quantitative research has not accounted for (1) the continual exiting and reentering of urban teachers, (2) the considerable bifurcation between urban and rural teacher labor markets as reflected in teacher mobility and cultural economic opportunities, (3) local definitions of labor market needs and teacher quality, and (4) the demanding and stressful working conditions of teaching, which are having a systemic and adverse effect on the occupation.     

Career effects of occupation-related vocational education: Evidence from the military's internal labor market

Prior research on the labor market success of secondary vocational education has produced mixed results, with several studies finding wage gains only for individuals who work in training-related occupations. We contribute to this debate by focusing on a single occupation and organization and by comparing the careers of employees with and without occupation-related training in high school. We use longitudinal data on the careers of military recruits who completed high school Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), a military science program that has features of a vocational training and school-to-work program. We find that the occupation-specific training received via JROTC reduces early turnover and improves long-run job stability for those who choose military jobs, suggesting that an important effect of vocational training is to improve job match quality. We also find that promotion rates for vocational graduates are similar to their peers, suggesting that vocational education in general works by improving occupational sorting.     

The impact of dual apprenticeship programmes on early labour market outcomes: A dynamic approach

This study examines the impact of enrolling into dual apprenticeship programmes during secondary education on six early employment outcomes. Our contribution to the literature is threefold. First, we apply a method that has rarely been used in this literature to control for potential selection biases. Second, this method allows us to distinguish between the programmes’ direct effect (conditional on educational achievement) and indirect effect (via educational achievement) on labour market outcomes. Third, we examine the impact of two distinct dual apprenticeship programmes in a novel setting: Flanders (Belgium). We find evidence for short-term labour market advantages only for the programme with the most days of on-the-job training, which fade out quickly over time.     

The impact of child labor on schooling outcomes in Nicaragua

Child labor is considered a key obstacle to reaching the international commitments of Education For All. However, the empirical evidence on the effects of child labor on educational attainments is mostly limited to static measurements. This paper assesses the consequences of child labor on schooling outcomes over time by employing a three-year longitudinal household data set from Nicaragua. The potential endogeneity of past child labor and school outcomes is addressed through instrumental variables. The time a child dedicates to work is found to have harmful consequences on subsequent educational achievements, even after controlling for previous human capital accumulation and other factors. In particular, working over three hours a day is associated with school failure in the medium term. A distinction by type of work shows that time spent in market production has larger negative effects on school outcomes than time spent performing household chores.     

Academic department prestige: A new measure based on the doctoral student labor market

Past rankings of academic departments have been based on a variety of factors including faculty publications, citations, and external perceptions. However well designed, these studies are conceptually flawed as means of assessing prestige. This paper views prestige as an ex ante condition related to an existing stratification system, rather than as an ex post result of productivity. As such, prestige can be measured by the academic department's ability to place its doctoral recipients. As a means of illustrating the use of this approach, an empirical analysis of accounting faculty placements from graduate schools in the United States was conducted. The resultant rankings were also evaluated for stability over time and against other program characteristics to illustrate the validity and the uniqueness of the measure.     

Federal policy and the teacher labor market: exploring the effects of NCLB school accountability on teacher turnover

The media suggest that accountability pressure increases teacher stress and drives teachers away from teaching, resulting in teachers leaving disadvantaged schools that serve larger proportions of poor and minority students. However, no prior work has systematically examined the changes in the national trends of teacher turnover in response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school accountability. Drawing on nationally representative samples of schools and teachers from the Schools and Staffing Surveys and Teacher Follow-Up Surveys from 1993–2009, this study applied difference-in-differences approaches to examine the effects of NCLB on teacher turnover. We found a weak increase in the average rate of teachers transferring involuntarily to other schools following school-initiated separations, particularly in disadvantaged schools that served larger proportions of poor and minority students. We also observed that NCLB reduced the involuntary attrition rates of teachers. Importantly, the policy effect is indistinguishable from zero on voluntary transfer between schools or voluntary leaving the teaching profession.     

劳动力市场变化趋势与农民工培训的迫切性

一、劳动力市场若干新特征 1.沿海地区特别是珠江三角洲地区出现持续的民工荒 企业缺工主要发生在珠三角、闽东南、浙东南等加工制造业聚集地区,重点地区估计缺工10%左右.珠三角地区缺工最为严重,目前有近200万人的缺口.其中,深圳现有民工420万,目前缺口约40万.东莞最近对1.5万家使用外来劳动力的企业进行调查,17%的企业表示有用工短缺,缺口近27万人.福建泉州、莆田两市用工缺口共约10万人①.     

The labor market returns to a for-profit college education

A lengthy literature estimating the returns to education has largely ignored the for-profit sector. In this paper, we estimate the earnings gains to for-profit college attendance using restricted-access data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). Using an individual fixed effects estimation strategy that allows us to control for time-invariant unobservable characteristics of students, we find that students who enroll in associate's degree programs in for-profit colleges experience earnings gains of about 10% relative to high school graduates with no college degree, conditional on employment. Since associate's degree students attend for an average of 2.6 years, this translates to a 4% return per year of education in a for-profit college, slightly lower than estimates of returns for other sectors found in the literature.