Education and Work After High School: A First Look at the Class of 2006 (September 2007, rev. November 2007)

Authors: Christopher T. King, Deanna Schexnayder, Greg Cumpton, Tara Carter Smith, Chandler Stolp
Date: September 2007
Publication Type: Report

For Education and Work after High School: A First Look at the Class of 2006, Ray Marshall Center researchers used both descriptive statistics and more sophisticated multivariate techniques to determine the factors associated with initial postsecondary education and employment outcomes for 2006 Central Texas seniors. Data for this analysis were constructed from individual student high school records, a spring survey of Central Texas seniors prior to graduation, and subsequent postsecondary education and employment records through December 2006.

Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center: Findings from the 2006 Senior Surveys (May 2007)

Authors: Deanna Schexnayder, Greg Cumpton, Nicole Beck
Date: May 2007
Publication Type: Report

As part of the Central Texas Student Futures Project, Ray Marshall Center researchers survey Central Texas seniors each spring in the semester prior to their expected graduation to gain insight into factors that cannot be examined with students’ existing high school records. In Findings from the 2006 Senior Surveys, researchers analyze responses for all 2006 seniors surveyed in six participating school districts—Austin, Del Valle, Leander, Manor, Pflugerville and Round Rock Independent School Districts—regarding family background and influences, high school experiences, and preparation for life after high school. The analysis also examines statistically significant differences for particular groups of high school students of concern to policymakers, including those who would be the first in their family to attend college, Hispanic students, and low-income students.

Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center: Year One Final Report (March 2006)

Authors: Deanna Schexnayder, Hannah Gourgey, Brendan Hill, David Wilkinson, Greg Cumpton, Esmeralda Garcia, Tara Carter Smith, Christopher King
Date: March 2006
Publication Type: Report

Globalization, technological innovation and the ongoing restructuring of work have created a "skills premium" for well-educated and trained workers in the U.S. and locally. Currently, Texas has the highest percentage of adults without high school diplomas of any state and is also experiencing major demographic shifts that may exacerbate this trend. There has never been a greater need for business and education to collaborate to prepare both current and emerging workers for success in their careers, starting with improved high school graduation rates and including higher rates of postsecondary education enrollment and completion. The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Education Agency provided funding to the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs to conduct research that could aid decision-making by local business and education officials and result in better education and labor market outcomes for local high school graduates. The Central Texas High School Graduate Data Center (Data Center) is being developed for that purpose. This report discusses findings, conclusions and recommendations based on the Data Center's first year of work and describes plans for future research.