Volume 3, (Supplement) 1968
Taussig, Michael K. 1968. "An Economic Analysis of Vocational Education in the New York City High Schools." Journal of Human Resources 3(Supplement):59-87.
In this case study of vocational education in urban public high schools, the analysis is carried out within a standard cost-benefit framework. Following a brief outline of the institutional and historical background of the subject, the author turns critical attention to the employment experience of recent graduates of the vocational schools in New York City. The major finding is the lack of apparent success of vocational training in increasing the market productivity of the graduates, despite the large incremental costs shown to be devoted to vocational training relative to alternative high school programs. The lack of evidence on other aspects of the subject--externalities and consumption effects--is noted and observed to be a major qualification to the findings from observable market experience. The author discusses the relevance and limitations of his findings and suggests that the schools' criteria for measuring the success of their programs are largely irrelevant from the standpoint of the public interest.
The author is Assistant Professor of Economics, Rutgers University. Many individuals have contributed to the education of the author in the course of this study. In particular, I am indebted to Mrs. Minna K. Barnett, Louis Cenci, and Dr. Harry E. Wolfson for their invaluable help in educational matters and to Mrs. Marcia Freedman for her suggestions about the economics of the subject. Rashi Fein, Henry M. Levin, and Joseph D. Mooney read the preliminary draft of the paper and contributed many helpful suggestions. Many of the ideas expressed in the paper were adapted from matters raised in discussions with these individuals, but views towards policy, as well as any errors, are strictly my own.
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