11.126J / 14.48J / 11.249J Economics of Education, Spring 2006

Abstract

Discusses the economic aspects of current issues in education, using both economic theory and econometric and institutional readings. Topics include discussion of basic human capital theory; the growing impact of education on earnings and earnings inequality; statistical issues in determining the true rate of return to education; the labor market for teachers, implications of the impact of computers on the demand for worker skills; the effectiveness of mid-career training for adult workers; the roles of school choice, charter schools, state standards and educational technology in improving K-12 education, and the issue of college financial aid. From the course home page: Course Description This course combines economic theory, econometric literature and institutional literature to examine current issues in U.S. education. Topics include human capital theory, the problem of disentangling the return to education from the return to innate ability, the role of education in national economic growth, the association between education and individual earnings and reasons why that relationship has changed over time, the main approaches to K-12 school reform, and the problem of increasing access to higher education.