This report explores how state-level policies shape the effectiveness and quality of Registered Apprenticeship Programs in the US. Through interviews with the Office of Apprenticeship and four state apprenticeship agencies, the research examines policies on supervision, hiring, recordkeeping, wages, and Equal Employment Opportunity. While states…

This study focuses on the increasing disparities in STEM education achievement and long-term wage earnings of under-represented minority groups. As part of national efforts to improve the diversity of the STEM workforce, this study uses longitudinal data from the University of Houston's Education Research Center (UH-ERC) to examine the effect of…

Using a rich and unique nationally representative sample of a cohort of young adults selected in the late 1970s and surveyed routinely through the 2010s, this study characterizes patterns in college enrollment with respect to the timing of initial enrollment, enrollment interruptions, and graduation (or non-completion) and investigates the…

We examine and compare the relationship between minimum wage increases and youth homicide rates in three groups: all youth, White youth only, and Black youth only. Using 2001-2019 mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) for all 50 states and Washington DC, we apply a difference in differences (DD) design to compare the…

Inadequate compensation is often viewed as the root of teacher workforce challenges despite teacher reports that working conditions matter more. Using an original discrete choice experiment with a national sample of 1,030 U.S. teachers, we found that support staff--special education specialists, counselors, and nurses--play an essential role in…

The workforce challenges facing the child care and early education (CCEE) sector are well-known, but effectively addressing these challenges requires a better understanding of the issues. The Building and Sustaining the Child Care and Early Education Workforce (BASE) project aims to increase knowledge and understanding about the CCEE workforce by…

This study examines three waves of data from a nationally representative survey, the China College Student Survey (2010, 2013 and 2015), to determine whether highly educated female graduates who choose to move outside their "hukou"-registered cities experience a double-negative effect in terms of initial earnings attainment and work…

Using a unique pan-European dataset, we rely on two alternative measures of over-education and control stepwise for four groups of covariates in order to interpret the over-education wage penalty in light of theoretical models. Firstly, it appears that a significant fraction (i.e. between 1/5 and 1/3) of PhD holders in Europe are genuinely…

Policymakers and practitioners are increasingly interested in using wage supplement strategies to address pervasively low compensation in the child care and early education (CCEE) field. This document describes how and why a wage supplement may lead to positive outcomes for the CCEE field--like improved retention and reduced turnover--through a…

If racial gaps in measures of human capital like educational attainment and standardized test scores were eliminated, what would happen to racial disparities in wages, employment, and other labor market outcomes? A credible answer to this question is foundational for understanding the nature and scope of racial inequality and discrimination in the…

This report presents an analysis of childcare providers' finances based on a survey carried out between May and July 2024, shortly after significant reforms in "entitlement" funding in England began. From April 2024, government-funded childcare was expanded to younger children and, from September 2025, all pre-school children from…

This dissertation focuses on the structures and impacts of digital skills in the rapidly transforming labor market. It is rooted in the premise that understanding the value of digital skills requires a relational perspective, acknowledging that these competencies are not isolated, but form complex structures across different occupations. The…

Child care workers are one of the lowest-paid groups in the U.S. Wages have remained stubbornly low even as the price of child care has risen significantly in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a shock to the child care workforce, which declined by as much as 35% at the height of the pandemic. The size of the workforce has only…

Wage gap statistics continue to show that efforts around equitable pay distributions continue to fail. These data inform us that the outcomes are not meeting expectations therefore something must change. We still see nationally that white men are paid more than any other gender or racial group, which tells us that we are hiring more diverse…

This brief contains findings from a recent study exploring direct support professionals (DSPs) providing support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of finding and keeping quality DSPs in a field that has experienced high turnover for decades. This problem is exacerbated…