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The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 86 No. 2 2004

The Effect of High School Courses on Earnings

Heather Rose1; Julian R. Betts1,2

1 Public Policy Institute of California · 2 University of California San Diego

Abstract

We estimate the effect that six types of high school math courses have on students' earnings nearly a decade after graduation. We use High School and Beyond transcript data to differentiate courses at a more detailed level than in previous research. This enables us to show that more-advanced courses have larger effects than less-advanced ones. We also provide evidence that math courses can help close the earnings gap between students from low-income and middle-income families. Finally, by incorporating other academic subjects, we demonstrate how specific course combinations can explain the earnings premium related to an additional year of school.

DOI
10.1162/003465304323031076
Volume
86
Issue
2
Pages
497-513
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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