Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Our reports from 2024 make clear that while the US has made strides toward improvinsg access to opportunity in higher education and employment, significant roadblocks persist. The research sheds light on trends and disparities that endure across both demographic and geographic fault lines. They also suggest policy strategies and practical solutions that would advance equitable access to educational and economic opportunity in the US. Read more: https://lnkd.in/egjz9J9X

In our newest blog post, we highlight our first four reports from 2024. We explored crucial topics, including postsecondary education's holistic benefits, employment realities in rural America, the changing demographics at selective and open-access institutions, and whether the middle-skills credentials awarded by providers align with the needs of local labor markets. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/egjz9J9X

Without full debt and earnings data, it is challenging for prospective students to make fully informed choices. For example, aggregate data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Handbook would indicate that opting for a master’s degree in business is a good choice. When a prospective student then turns to the College Scorecard to narrow down their MBA program options, they would see that the median post-graduate earnings for those programs range from more than $300,000 to less than $50,000. But the absence of complete information about debt and earnings across all MBA programs makes it difficult for students considering an MBA to know which program is the best investment, given their particular needs and interests. More on how increased data can help students make better-informed decisions about their future from Jeff Strohl: https://lnkd.in/eRrRCasH

Prospective students should carefully consider all available information—including costs and likely debt and earnings—before deciding which college programs they will commit their time and money to. The trouble is that even when prospective students want information about the cost of degree programs, it isn’t always readily available. While the Department of Education’s College Scorecard is a key public source of program-level data, it offers complete earnings and debt data for just 16% of master’s degree programs, 25% of professional degree programs, and 4% of doctoral degree programs. In a recent blog, Director Jeff Strohl discusses how transparency can help establish confidence in higher education. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRrRCasH

Hundreds of master’s degree programs in education leave graduates with debt that they cannot reasonably repay, and some programs leave graduates with earnings no better than they would have made with a bachelor’s degree alone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, states with some of the largest numbers of programs with high debt-to-earnings ratios—such as New York, California, Florida, and Virginia, among others—also face significant teacher shortages. In an op-ed for Education Week, the CEW team explores potential solutions: https://lnkd.in/eR6Bn2VD

Across the US, public school districts are grappling with a shortage of teachers. Challenging conditions—such as low pay, stressful and even unsafe classroom environments, and a political climate that inspires pessimism about the future of education—have left potential educators wary of entering the field and are pushing veteran teachers out the door. Compounding the issue of low pay is student loan debt, and in particular, debt for graduate degrees in education. Find out more in our recent op-ed for Education Week: https://lnkd.in/eR6Bn2VD

The disparities in law school outcomes are most pronounced for women and members of marginalized racial/ethnic minority groups, who account for a larger share of enrollments at law schools where earnings outcomes are lower and unemployment for graduates is higher. These disparities are most pronounced for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latina women. https://bit.ly/4cfy1oD

Today is Giving Tuesday! Let’s make it a priority, today and every day, to uplift and empower others through the generous and kind act of giving.

In this The Rural Impact Podcast & Publishing episode, experts from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies break down how investing in #RuralPostsecondaryEd and training expands access to good jobs. Click the link to learn more! https://bit.ly/4fj23d5 #AscendiumEP

Wondering where you can access our newest op-eds? The quarterly CEW newsletter highlights recent publications that you might have missed. Follow here: http://eepurl.com/gJzN3D