Project
The Effect of High School Industry Certification on College and Career
High schools have steadily expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings and have recently begun to offer industry-recognized certification in hundreds of fields. Despite their growing importance, there is virtually no evidence on the effect of CTE credentials on the post-high-school opportunities for students. By comparing students who just pass end-of-pathway CTE exams with those who take them same classes, but just miss the threshold for obtaining certification, we will determine the impact of certification on post-secondary educational choices and employment outcomes and how the effects vary across CTE subjects and across different types of students.
Project
The Value of a Retroactive High School Diploma
In 2015 the state of Georgia passed House Bill 91, which eliminated the high school graduation test as a requirement for graduation and allowed former students who did not receive a diploma due only to failing the graduation exam to petition for to retroactively receive a high school diploma.
As of November 2017, more than 35,000 Georgians have applied to do so. This study will shed light on what factors are associated with applying for retroactive diplomas and what effect receiving a high school diploma retroactively has on college-going, employment and earnings. Besides looking at the effects of Georgia’s policy change, the study will also shed light on the value of the signal the diploma provides as opposed to the value of the education one
receives.
Project
The Impact of Programs to Promote College Access and Success
This project investigates the impact of programs designed to promote college access and success among disadvantaged students. These programs include scholarships, a variety of college access efforts and support while in college. Effects on college applications, college selection, college enrollment and persistence in college will all be studied. The goal is to determine which aspects of these programs are most effective, ways in which the programs can be approved and where additional investments in this programs would be most effective.