Non-formal education programmes to boost young people's development are increasingly common in the Global South. There is clear evidence of short-term impacts but much less is known about how far they lead to lasting change. Longitudinal studies from the Global North provide insights into the long-term effects of participation in extra-curricular…

Research on the effectiveness of educational programs has centered on evaluating shortterm outcomes, such as standardized test scores. This research examines the long-term consequences of free school choice programs offered to primary school students at the transition to secondary school. The main question is whether the effects of free school…

This report presents the first findings of a groundbreaking impact study of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP). Funded by the Ford Foundation for over a decade (2001-2013), IFP provided advanced higher education opportunities to 4,305 emerging social justice leaders from marginalized communities in 22 countries. In 2013,…

A 20-year retrospective study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the July 2015 issue of the "American Journal of Public Health," suggests that kindergarten students who are more inclined to exhibit "social competence" traits--such as sharing, cooperating, or helping other kids--may be more likely to…

This report presents selected findings from the second follow-up of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). HSLS:09 follows a nationally representative sample of students who were ninth-graders in fall 2009 from the beginning of high school into higher education and the workforce. Key research topics for HSLS:09 include secondary to…

Based on data from the second follow-up of the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/12), these Web Tables present information on the employment, enrollment, and debt of first-time bachelor's degree recipients 4 years after graduation. The tables describe graduates' employment history and status after 4 years, their current or…

This report examines the labor market outcomes of high school career and technical education (CTE) students. Using nationally representative data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), the report analyzes a recent cohort of high school graduates (the class of 2004) as of 2012, eight years after they had completed high school.…

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals generate a stream of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that fuel job creation and national economic growth. Ensuring a robust supply of these professionals is critical for sustaining growth and creating jobs growth at a time of intense global competition.…

In most advanced countries, young people are now expected to remain in education until the age of 18 and, in a context of poor opportunities for those who leave at an early stage, there are concerns about those who are being left behind. In this paper we use comparable survey data to focus on the destinations of young people in two contrasting…

While several types of mental illness, including substance abuse disorders, have been linked with poor labor market outcomes, no current research has been able to examine the effects of childhood ADHD. As ADHD has become one of the most prevalent childhood mental conditions, it is useful to understand the full set of consequences of the illness.…

Occupations with a greater share of females pay less than those with a lower share, controlling for education and skill. This association is explained by two dominant views: devaluation and queuing. The former views the pay offered in an occupation to affect its female proportion, due to employers' preference for men--a gendered labor queue. The…

In this report data from the 1995 Year 9 Cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) is used along with a variety of empirical approaches to assess the benefits of additional years of schooling for various groups of youth conditional upon their estimated propensity to engage in further schooling. Background material is provided…

Influences of heredity and environment on educational and occupational choice in mid-life and elderly cohorts were studied using longitudinal twin data (413 pairs). For both education and occupation there is a trend toward increasing genetic variance for females in comparison to males in the younger cohort. (SLD)

A study examined schooling, weekly and annual working hours, and hourly earnings of women organized into nine birth cohorts, 1920 to 1964. Many more women are working now than did 20 years ago. The gap between the work of married and unmarried women has narrowed. Schooling and wage differences have widened in recent cohorts. (SK)

This report provides statistical evidence that presents a picture at variance with the conventional portrayal of inner city youth. Using data from a national longitudinal study of high school students, the High School and Beyond survey, the study shows that young people display more resilience than they are usually given credit for. Comparison of…