Corrects 1972 National Longitudinal Study data used in two earlier papers on education effects in subbaccalaureate labor markets. Corrections confirm most earlier findings. However, for men, the effects of vocational associate degrees are insignificant, whereas the effects of vocational credits earned are significant. Economic benefits may accrue…

Reviews the available evidence on the economic benefits of postsecondary education below the level of the baccalaureate degree, concentrating on the effects of community colleges. Results indicate substantial benefits for many kinds of postsecondary education. However, the economic benefits of small amounts of coursework are often zero and at best…

An analysis of the 1984, 1987, and 1990 Survey of Income and Program Participation shows that the benefits of sub-baccalaureate credentials (associate degrees and certificates) are generally positive and statistically significant. However, the benefits of completing some postsecondary education but failing to earn credentials are much lower,…

While the economic benefits of the most familiar credentials--high school diplomas and baccalaureate degrees--are well established, the economic benefits are much less clear for other kinds of education and training. This report looks at the economic benefits of sub-baccalaureate education. While community colleges serve many goals and missions,…

Disputes critics' claims about the negligible impact of an associate degree on income. Uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 to demonstrate how associate degrees have increased wages for members of this group. (DMM)

Employers often use education and other ability measures as indicators of unmeasured ability dimensions. This paper presents tests of signaling, relying on differences in earnings functions for salaried individuals in screened occupations versus self-employed individuals in unscreened positions. Vocational associate degrees and high school grades…

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) was used to compare estimates of the benefits of education among different levels of education and thereby identify the returns to education and training in the subbaccalaureate labor market. The study data consisted of information on the educational attainment and income of 14,537 (7,981…

Using two nationally representative and longitudinal data sets, a study was conducted to examine trends in transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges. These data sets followed the high school classes of 1972 and 1980 into postsecondary education. A comparison of the educational outcomes of the two cohorts of students revealed the…