The Impacts of Earning Industry-Recognized Certifications in High School (Poster 13)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Individuals prepare for college and the workforce by reaching a number of important milestones, from earning a high school credential to enrolling in college to earning a degree. Along the way, many young adults acquire a range of skills by earning alternative education credentials (AECs). Unlike degrees, AECs represent a form of nondegree credential and consist mainly of certificates, licenses, and industry-recognized certifications (IRCs). IRCs, in particular, are important because (1) a growing number of young adults from across the nation now earn them in order to develop skills demanded by employers; (2) employers and IRC vendors alike make claims about economic benefits of IRCs that, to date, have not been rigorously tested, and (3) unlike certificates (and, to a lesser degree, licenses), we have limited evidence regarding access to, performance on, and causal effects of IRCs. To uncover the impacts of IRCs, I use data from national, state, and district sources within a regression discontinuity framework in order to estimate the returns of IRCs on postsecondary enrollment, college major, employment, and earnings. The results shed light on a little understood credential that is gaining traction as firms promote them to students and families, state education agencies incorporate them into accountability systems, and young adults seek them to boost their skills.

Author

• Matthew A. Lenard, Harvard University
  Presenting Author