Leading Education Policy With Evidence: Promoting Human Capital Accumulation and Bridging Labor-Market Needs

• In Event: Strategies to Improve High School Completion, College Enrollment, and Human Capital Accumulation

Abstract

This paper highlights the important intersection of labor-market and education policy, especially in areas of concentrated poverty. Specifically, I explore whether career and technical educational (CTE) programs in Massachusetts that engage in public-private partnerships promote human capital accumulation in youth, and whether existing program offerings match demonstrated labor market needs, especially in areas with high concentrations of individuals from low-income families. Using administrative education data from Massachusetts and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I find that participating in a CTE program that utilizes public-private partnerships positively impacts a student’s probability of graduation from high-school on time. Yet, such CTE programs are less available in areas with higher concentrations of poverty, and less aligned with emerging labor-market needs.

Author

• Shaun Michael Dougherty, University of Connecticut