In this paper we estimate the impacts of the "pathways" chosen by community college students - in terms of desired credentials and fields of study, as well as other choices and outcomes along the paths - on the attainment of credentials with labor market value. We focus on the extent to which...

In this study, we describe the postsecondary transitions of students taking CTE courses in high school using administrative data on one cohort of high school students from Washington State. Our findings indicate that CTE students are less likely to enroll in college overall, especially four-year...

In this paper, we shed light on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market, and how they have evolved over most of the year 2020. Relying primarily on microdata from the CPS and state-level data on virus caseloads, mortality, and policy restrictions, we consider a range of...

We consider whether the US should extend Pell grant eligibility to short-term certificate programs (i.e., below the current floor of 600 hours). We provide new descriptive evidence on who enrolls in certificate programs, who completes them, how students finance them, who defaults on loans, and...

The generosity of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits was expanded during the pandemic (FPUC), along with the groups of workers eligible for benefits (PUA). These two programs were set to expire in September 2021, but 18 states opted out of both in June 2021. Using Current Population Survey...

We describe trends in wages and labor force participation for the "working class" - whom we define as workers with high school or less education - compared to those with college or more. We compare cyclical peaks over the entire period 1979-2019, with particular focus on the Great Recession...

Workforce development in the US today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public 2-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be,...

In this paper, we shed light on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market, and how they have evolved over most of the year 2020. Relying primarily on microdata from the CPS and state-level data on virus caseloads, mortality, and policy restrictions, we consider a range of...

We describe trends in wages and labor force participation for the "working class" - whom we define as workers with high school or less education - compared to those with college or more. We compare cyclical peaks over the entire period 1979-2019, with particular focus on the Great Recession...