This article reports on an evaluation of the development of a new type of qualification that is being introduced in England between 2008 and 2011. These diplomas are aimed at 14-19-year-olds, and are expected to present young people with an alternative to established academic qualifications, and also an alternative to established vocational…

Child labour in India has long been the focus of research, policy concern and intervention. This article presents an analysis of children's involvement in agricultural work, particularly cottonseed production, drawing on evidence gathered for Young Lives in 2007 and 2008. In parts of Andhra Pradesh, children work in cotton fields for two or three…

The public supply of adult education is very different between countries, making it likely that there is scope for efficiency gains. The contribution of this paper is to provide an economic evaluation of the earnings impact of adult education at upper secondary level (AE) in Sweden, where the supply is plausibly larger than in any other country.…

Acting as the lead agency for the "National STEM Consortium" (NSC), Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) engaged Hezel Associates to provide an independent program and impact evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL)-funded STEM certificate initiative. This report is comprehensive and covers the findings from all 4 years of the…

There are 29 million "middle jobs" in the United States that pay $35,000 or more on average and don't require a Bachelor's degree. There are five Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways that educate and train Americans for these jobs: employer-based training, industry-based certifications, apprenticeships, postsecondary certificates, and…

It is well established that workers with more years of education earn higher wages. By establishing a reference or "required" level of education for a worker's occupation, it is possible to decompose an individual's actual level of education into years of required education and years of over-education or under-education relative to that…

Countless media reports point to the mismatch between workers' skills and employers' needs. Education and employment data bear out this fact. Using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and other sources, an influential 2011 report found that a substantial percentage of recent college graduates lack core competencies critical…

This study examines cocurricular learning support in California higher education and the implications for student success. The research incorporates two aspects, including a four-year university component and a community college component. The first component summarizes data for a one-year period for graduates of California State University,…

Key Data on Education in Europe 2012 is a Eurydice flagship publication tracing the main developments of European education systems over the last decade. The report combines statistical data with qualitative information to describe the organisation, management and functioning of 37 European education systems from pre-primary to higher education.…

The objective of this study was to survey IS curriculum in AACSB-accredited Information Systems programs across the United States, to evaluate current adherence to the IS 2010 Curriculum Guidelines, and to assess the number and type of career track developments initiated as a result of less stringent requirements in the new curriculum guidelines.…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Culture Shift": Preparing Students for Today's Demands Requires Shift to Learner-Centered Instruction…

Higher education is one of the most crucial indicators for national overall competitiveness. But the issue of education equity has remained a concern throughout the world. Many studies in Taiwan show that family income, parents' education level, and place of origin impact children's higher education enrollment opportunities. This paper analyzes…

Career-focused education offered through programs of study (POS), career pathways, and career and technical education (CTE) can provide students with opportunities to engage in career exploration and development, to establish career goals, to increase academic knowledge and skills, to test career preferences in applied settings, and to make links…

As Russia has moved closer to a market economy, radical transformations of the system of higher education have become necessary; and it needs to be oriented to the training of specialists who possess a high level of professionalism and competence. Research shows that what employers in Russia see as most valuable in young specialists are behavioral…

The concept of learning outcomes is at the heart of many research programmes and policy responses. International surveys (from the International Adult Literacy Survey, back in the mid-nineties, to the forthcoming Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes two OECD surveys), National Qualifications Frameworks or the European Qualifications…