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Underinvestment In Employer Training: Is A Mandate To Spend On Training The Answer?, John H. Bishop
Underinvestment In Employer Training: Is A Mandate To Spend On Training The Answer?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
American employers and their workers under invest in employer training. Under investment occurs because training generates externalities, because the tax system is biased against training investments, and because most workers are unable to finance general training because they lack access to loans to finance consumption during periods of heavy investment in training. School based occupational training ameliorates the under investment problem somewhat but it is not a complete answer to the problem. The French approach of requiring firms to spend at least 1.4 percent of their wage bill on continuing training of employees (if they are to avoid paying a …
Achievement, Test Scores And Relative Wages, John H. Bishop
Achievement, Test Scores And Relative Wages, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] This article examines the causal connections between these two phenomena: changes in the academic achievement of high school graduates and changes in the payoff to college. Four specific questions are addressed. The questions and the answers generated by our examination of the data are outlined below[...]
Impacts Of Tougher Graduation Requirements On Course Selection And Learning In High School And Post High School Experiences Of Vocational Students, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane
Impacts Of Tougher Graduation Requirements On Course Selection And Learning In High School And Post High School Experiences Of Vocational Students, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] The paper began with an examination of the effects of tougher graduation requirements on course taking patterns in high school. High school graduation tests reduced the number of occupational vocational courses taken by students and lowered their likelihood of becoming vocational concentrators. While this finding confirms the hypothesis we specified at the start, the rest of our findings contradict conventional wisdom and our initial hypotheses. Increased course graduation requirements did not decrease vocational course taking. Indeed, students in states with above average Carnegie unit graduation minimums took significantly more vocational education courses than students in states with low minimums. …
Strengthening Incentives For Student Effort And Learning: Michigan’S Merit Award Program?, John H. Bishop
Strengthening Incentives For Student Effort And Learning: Michigan’S Merit Award Program?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] One of the primary reasons American students learn a good deal less during secondary school than students in other industrialized nations is that they devote less time and intellectual energy to the task.1 Accountability systems designed to get teachers to try harder and set higher standards will not produce more student learning if [as one high school teacher put it] “students are sitting back in their desks, arms crossed, waiting for their teachers to make them smart (Zoch, 1998, p. 70).” Learning is not a passive act; it requires the time and active involvement of the learner. In a …
The New York State Reform Strategy: Raising The Bar Above Minimum Competency, John H. Bishop , Ferran Mane
The New York State Reform Strategy: Raising The Bar Above Minimum Competency, John H. Bishop , Ferran Mane
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Educational reformers and most of the American public believe that teachers ask too little of their pupils. African-American and Hispanic parents, in particular, criticize the low expectations and goals that teachers and school administrators often set for their children. These low expectations, they believe, result in watered down curricula and a tolerance of mediocre teaching and inappropriate student behavior. The result is that the prophecy of low achievement becomes self-fulfilling. The problem of low expectations is not limited to minority students or lower income communities. It’s endemic. High school subjects are taught at vastly different levels. Research has shown …
Educational Reform And Technical Education?, John H. Bishop
Educational Reform And Technical Education?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Even though educational reform marches under a banner of economic renewal, the school subjects that appear to be most directly related to worker productivity-- business education, vocational education, economics, computers--have received little attention from reformers. The five "core" subjects proposed for periodic assessment are English, mathematics, science, history/civics and geography. Yet, if competitiveness is the objective, it is not clear why geography, a subject that is not taught in most American universities, has higher priority than subjects like computers, economics, management and technology? Some of the reform reports have expressed doubt about the economic benefits of vocational education (Committee …
Signaling, Incentives And School Organization In France, The Netherlands, Britain And The United States: Lessons For Education Economics, John H. Bishop
Signaling, Incentives And School Organization In France, The Netherlands, Britain And The United States: Lessons For Education Economics, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] What causes differences in secondary school achievement across these four nations? The first two sections of the paper describe the achievement differences among the four countries and examine the proximate causes of the differentials. I conclude that these achievement differentials are caused by differences in the quality of teachers and of student time and effort inputs devoted to academic achievement.
Is Standards-Based Reform Working? … And For Whom?, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop
Is Standards-Based Reform Working? … And For Whom?, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Three presidents, the National Governors Association, numerous blue ribbon panels and national teachers unions have called for states to develop content standards for core subjects, examinations assessing student achievement aligned with the content standards and accountability mechanisms for insuring that students achieve these standards. In 1999 eighteen states had minimum competency exam (MCE) graduation requirements, 19 rewarded successful schools, 19 had special assistance programs for failing schools, 11 had the power to close down, take over or reconstitute failing schools.
Vocational Education For At-Risk Youth: How Can It Be Made More Effective?, John H. Bishop
Vocational Education For At-Risk Youth: How Can It Be Made More Effective?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Minority youth and non-minority youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have great difficulty finding steady jobs that provide real training and advancement opportunities. In October 1986, only 32 percent of black youth who had recently dropped out of high school had a job and only 42 percent of the previous June's graduates not attending college had a job. For Hispanics, only 46 percent of recent drop outs had a job and only 65 percent of graduates not attending college had a job. While the employment rates among white youth were higher (47 percent for drop outs and 71 percent for …
Are National Exit Examinations Important For Educational Efficiency?, John H. Bishop
Are National Exit Examinations Important For Educational Efficiency?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
“This paper analyses effects of national or provincial exit examinations on education quality. On theoretical grounds, the paper argues that such examinations should increase high school achievement, particularly in examination subjects, and that teachers and students and parents and school administrators should focus more on academic achievement when making school-quality decisions. On the negative side, exit examinations may lead to a tendency to concentrate on learning facts, rather than understanding contexts.”
Job Performance, Turnover And Wage Growth, John H. Bishop
Job Performance, Turnover And Wage Growth, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
The paper tests and finds strong support for the hypothesis that in the nonunion sector of the economy, turnover is negatively selective on a worker's job performance. At establishments with about 17 employees, a worker who is one standard deviation (21 percent) less productive than average during the first few months on the job is 11 percentage points more likely to be laid off or fired and 7 percentage points more likely to quit during the succeeding year. At large nonunion establishments and in small labor markets, productivity has very large effects on risks of an involuntary separation but almost …
Why California Needs A High School Exit Examination System: Enrollment + Motivation + Engagement => Learning , John H. Bishop
Why California Needs A High School Exit Examination System: Enrollment + Motivation + Engagement => Learning , John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] The purpose of the educational enterprise is LEARNING. Engagement is essential to achieving this purpose. Students must come to school, pay attention, do homework, engage with the subject and construct their new knowledge in ways that allow them to retrieve it later. How are students induced to do all this hard work? Teachers try to make their subject interesting, but sixty–one percent of American students, nevertheless, say they “often feel bored” (OECD 2002 p. 330). Studies of time use in classrooms have found that American students actively engage in a learning activity for only about half the time they …
Privatizing Education: Lessons From Canada And Europe, John H. Bishop
Privatizing Education: Lessons From Canada And Europe, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Legislative proposals for vouchers for K-12 schooling have come before many legislatures and are a regular part of election year debates. Public support for vouchers is growing. When a representative sample of the population was recently asked “Do you favor or oppose allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public expense?” 44 percent said yes up from 24 percent in 1993. A tax credit has even more support. When asked “Proposals are being made in a number of states to provide a tax credit that would allow parents who send their children to private …
The Incidence Of And Payoff To Employer Training: A Review Of The Literature With Recommendations For Policy, John H. Bishop
The Incidence Of And Payoff To Employer Training: A Review Of The Literature With Recommendations For Policy, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] The theory of on-the-job training predicts that workers should pay the full costs of training that is useful at other firms. In fact, however, workers receiving training are not paid less than other similar workers and new hires who require extra training are paid only slightly less than new hires who require less than average amounts of training. Many employers offer workers the opportunity to learn general skills such as word processing and other computer applications programs on company time. Studies of the costs and benefits of apprenticeship training programs find that employers do not recoup their investment during …
Are Early Investments In Computer Skills Rewarded In The Labor Market? , Ferran Mane, John H. Bishop
Are Early Investments In Computer Skills Rewarded In The Labor Market? , Ferran Mane, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
The paper assesses the relationship between investments in computer skills by adolescents and earnings at age 26. The heaviest investors earned 9 to 16 percent more than otherwise equivalent NELS-88 classmates. The payoff to early computer skills was substantial in jobs involving intense and complex uses of computers; negligible when computers were not used at work. It was non-gaming use of computers outside of school that enhanced future earnings, not playing video/computer games—which lowered earnings. Children in low SES families invested less in computer skills and thus benefited less from the job opportunities generated by the digital revolution.
Student, Staff, And Employer Incentives For Improved Student Achievement And Work Readiness, John H. Bishop
Student, Staff, And Employer Incentives For Improved Student Achievement And Work Readiness, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
“This article proposes a strategy for banishing mediocrity and building in its place an excellent American system of secondary education. Before a cure can be prescribed, however, a diagnosis must be made.”
Does The Targeted Jobs Tax Credit Create Jobs At Subsidized Firms?, John H. Bishop, Mark Montgomery
Does The Targeted Jobs Tax Credit Create Jobs At Subsidized Firms?, John H. Bishop, Mark Montgomery
John H Bishop
This paper uses the results of a survey of more than 3500 private employers to determine whether use of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC) alters the level of a fIrm's employment and/or whom the fInn hires. We estimate that each subsidized hire generates between .13 and .3 new jobs at a participating fIrm. Use of the program also appears to induce employers to hire more young workers (age 25 and under). Our results suggest, however, that at least 70% of the tax credits granted employers are payments for workers who would have been hired even without the subsidy. Such …
The Motivation Problem In American High Schools, John H. Bishop
The Motivation Problem In American High Schools, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
American high school students devote much less time and energy to their studies than the students of other nations. The cause of the lack of motivation is the lack of rewards for studying hard and for taking rigorous courses. This occurs for four reasons. First, the u.S. economy fails to give academic achievement its due reward in the labor market and rewards instead credentials that signify time spent, rather than competencies acquired. In most other countries credentials are more closely related to competencies obtained, so school achievement is a more important determinants of prestige and income as an adult than …
What's Wrong With American Secondary Schools: Can State And Federal Governments Fix It?, John H. Bishop
What's Wrong With American Secondary Schools: Can State And Federal Governments Fix It?, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] The poor performance of American students is sometimes blamed on the nation's "diversity". Many affluent parents apparently believe that their children are doing acceptably by international standards. This is not the case. In Stevenson, Lee and Stigler's (1986) study of 5th grade math achievement, the best of the 20 classrooms sampled in Minneapolis was outstripped by every single classroom studied in Sendai, Japan and by 19 of the 20 classrooms studied in Taipeh, Taiwan. The nation's top high school students rank far behind much less elite samples of students in other countries. In mathematics the gap between Japanese and …
The Impact Of Previous Training In Schools And On Jobs On Productivity, Required Ojt, And Turnover Of New Hires, John H. Bishop
The Impact Of Previous Training In Schools And On Jobs On Productivity, Required Ojt, And Turnover Of New Hires, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Workers who are assigned to the same job and paid the same wage often differ greatly in productivity. Coefficients of variation of individual productivity in specific jobs based on hard measures of physical output average .144 for factory operatives, .35 for sales clerks and .28 for craft workers (Hunter, Schmidt and Judiesch 1988). This paper examines whether and to what extent variations in productivity (and other job outcomes) across workers doing the same job at the same firm can be predicted by information on the background and training of the individual worker.
Scientific Illiteracy: Causes, Costs And Cures, John H. Bishop
Scientific Illiteracy: Causes, Costs And Cures, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] This article examines the causes of the learning deficits in science, math and technology, evaluates their social costs and then recommends policy measures for remedying the problems identified. Following the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science for All Americans report, I define the domain of "science" very broadly to include mathematics and technology along with the natural sciences. To avoid confusing readers accustomed to the narrower definition of science, broadly defined science is referred to as science, mathematics and technology.
The Effect Of National Standard And Curriculum-Based Exams On Achievement, John H. Bishop
The Effect Of National Standard And Curriculum-Based Exams On Achievement, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that curriculum-based external exit exam systems (CBEEEs) based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …
An Economic Theory Of Nerd And Slacker Harassment And It’S Role In Enforcing Social Norms In Schools, John H. Bishop
An Economic Theory Of Nerd And Slacker Harassment And It’S Role In Enforcing Social Norms In Schools, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
No abstract provided.
The Economic Consequences Of Schooling And Learning, John H. Bishop
The Economic Consequences Of Schooling And Learning, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] Concern about slackening productivity growth and deteriorating competitiveness has resulted in a new public focus on the quality and rigor of the elementary and secondary education received by the nation's front line workers. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, for example, reports that 93 percent of 17 year olds do not have "the capacity to apply mathematical operations in a variety of problem settings." (1988 p. 42) Higher order thinking and problem solving skills are believed to be in particularly short supply so much attention has been given to mathematics and science education because it is thought that these …
Vocational And Academic Education In High School: Complements Or Substitutes, Suk Kang, John H. Bishop
Vocational And Academic Education In High School: Complements Or Substitutes, Suk Kang, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] A number of blue ribbon-panels have called for increases in the number academic courses required for graduation from high school and for lengthening the school day and the school year. Most states have adopted the first of these recommendations but not the second. With the amount of time a student spends in school remaining constant, increases in the number of required academic courses force reductions elsewhere. Which activities should be reduced? Should the reduction be made in study halls, music and fine arts,physical education, and life skills courses or should it come in vocational education? The answer to this …
Do Empoyers Share The Costs And Benefits Of General Training?, John H, Bishop
Do Empoyers Share The Costs And Benefits Of General Training?, John H, Bishop
John H Bishop
This paper presents evidence that during the first year or so of a worker's tenure, wages rise more slowly than productivity net of training costs when training is predominantly general and that many employers are, in effect, induced to share the costs and benefits of general on-the-job training with their employees. This occurs for three reasons. First, sorting, high job search costs and the reputational damages that result from premature separations make a dismissed worker's next best alternative decidedly unattractive and this causes workers to prefer front loaded compensation packages which reduce the likelihood of involuntary terminations. Second, since most …
Nerd Harassment And Grade Inflation: Are College Admissions Policies Partly Responsible? , John H. Bishop
Nerd Harassment And Grade Inflation: Are College Admissions Policies Partly Responsible? , John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] In the eyes of American parents, college admissions officers control the single most important gate their children will ever pass through. Nearly all parents hope their child will go to college. Perceptions of what it takes to get into preferred colleges and universities profoundly affect the courses students take, the standards teachers set and the effort students put out. Evidence for this last statement comes from a 1998/99 survey of 36,000 secondary school students at 135 high schools conducted by the Educational Excellence Alliance (EEA). The students were asked “When you work really hard in school, which of the …
Improving Education: How Large Are The Benefits? How Can It Be Done Efficiently? , John H. Bishop
Improving Education: How Large Are The Benefits? How Can It Be Done Efficiently? , John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] The Problem: The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that 92 percent of high school seniors cannot "integrate specialized scientific information" and do not have "the capacity to apply mathematical operations in a variety of problem settings." (NAEP 1988a p. 51, 1988b p. 42) According to the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey, only 23 percent of adults are able to reliably determine correct change using information from a menu (National Center for Education Statistics, 1994 Table 1.3).
Overeducation, John H. Bishop
Overeducation, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
According to manpower requirements economists, "overeducation" occurs when an individual has more schooling than is "required" by their job. Studies have found that men (but not women) who exceed the schooling norm for their job by 4 or more years are more dissatisfied with their current job and more likely to look for a better one, but that they are not more likely to be politically alienated or to support left wing causes. Individuals whose schooling achievement (competence in reading and math) exceeds the norm for their job are significantly more productive than coworkers. This implies that a greater supply …
The Growth Of Female College Attendance: Causes And Prospects, John H. Bishop
The Growth Of Female College Attendance: Causes And Prospects, John H. Bishop
John H Bishop
[Excerpt] This paper analyzes the response of female college attendance and completion rates to changes over time (and variations across labor markets) in the payoff to college and the cost of attendance and the preparation of students for college. The robustness of the main findings will be checked by analyzing two very different data sets: cross section data on individuals and time series data on awegate college enrollment and completion rates from 1949 to 1989. In Section 1, a simple model of the college attendance decision is developed which incorporates most of the factors discussed above. Section 2 presents the …