Labor Market and Education Research Program

The mission of this JFI Program is to develop valid and reliable measures of the performance of education, employment training and cash assistance programs and related support services, and to study how often and in what combination these investments ‘touch’ defined target groups.

Program researchers use historical and routinely updated files of confidential administrative records maintained by the Institute under data-sharing agreements with federal, state, and local government agencies.  A core asset of the Program includes a network of research partners with similar capabilities in other states.  Program researchers study employment status patterns and industry and firm affiliations and employee earnings profiles, as these reflect and impact individual investments in continued education and training and individual acceptance of income supports.

Current research sponsors include the Abell Foundation; the Annie E. Casey Foundation; The Urban Institute; the Maryland Association of Community Colleges; the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention; the Maryland Department of Human Resources; the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; the Maryland State Department of Education; the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and the University System of Maryland.

Current Research Projects include:

Technology Education in Baltimore City Public Schools

In November 2005, the Maryland State Board of Education repealed and adopted new Regulations .01 & .02 under COMAR 13A.04.01 Program in Technology Education to align instructional programs in Technology Education for grades 9-12 with the content standards of the new Voluntary State Curriculum in Technology Education. The deadline for implementing the new regulations was moved from September 2006 to September 2007.

With funding provided by the Abell Foundation, JFI is examining BCPSS’s response to MSDE’s technology education mandate.  In the fall of 2007, a new online curriculum was implemented that conforms to MSDE’s Voluntary State Curriculum.  Field observation will take place both in Baltimore City and in Montgomery County, a site determined to be a “leader” in technology education according to MSDE.  An examination of technology education practices in other US States as well as internationally will also be included.

Teacher Retention:  A Comparison of Maryland Professional Development Schools (PDS) Program Graduates with Recipients of Maryland Certification Through Other Qualifying Paths

Data on education graduates from 2001-2006 was provided to JFI by all University System of Maryland (USM) institutions, both undergraduate and graduate.  USM is seeking to examine K-12 teacher retention in PDS as well as non-PDS graduates.  JFI is in the process of matching graduates to the Maryland UI Wage records, as well as regional, surrounding states wage records and federal employment in order to determine their career paths.

Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC)

JFI is providing assistance to MACC with a performance indicator required by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC).  Matches of both degree and certificate community college completers have been matched to the Maryland UI Wage records, as well as regional and federal databases.  Longitudinal earnings profiles one year prior and 3 years after graduation were generated and distributed to each institution.  Additional research was provided by examining earnings profiles by gender and race/ethnicity. 

Civility Study:  A Joint Effort between Dr. P.M. Forni’s Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and the Jacob France Institute

In a collaborative research project, JFI and Dr. P.M. Forni sought to determine a “Top Ten” listing of rude behaviors.  Thirty examples of rude behavior were posed in an online survey to respondents, each linked to a five point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not Offensive) to 5 (Most Offensive).  Respondents were asked to indicate the degree to which they personally considered each behavior offensive. 

The survey was distributed to the University of Baltimore community, as well as staff from the Baltimore firms of EA Engineering Science and Technology, and Life Bridge Health in May 2007.  A total of 615 respondents completed the survey, and the “Top Ten” acts of rudeness were compiled.  They included:

1.  Being discriminated against in an employment situation.

2.  Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.

3.  Taking credit for someone else’s work.

4.  Treating service providers as inferiors.

5.  Jokes or remarks that mock another’s race/gender/age/disability/sexual preference or religion.

6.  Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.

7.  Littering (including trash, spitting, pet waste).

8.  Misuse of handicapped privileges.

9.  Smoking in non-smoking places/smoking in front of non-smokers without first asking.

10. Using cell phones or text messaging in mid-conversation/during an appointment or meeting.

Dr. Forni’s upcoming book on civility will address these behaviors and offer appropriate and civil responses to them.  For more information, consult the following link:  http://www.jhu.edu/%7Egazette/2007/22oct07/22manners.html

For more information about Labor Market and Education Research Program contact
David Stevens at (410) 837-4729