Chris King presented The Rise of Sectoral Workforce Development at the The Future of Workforce Development Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, MO. Dr. King’s remarks are contained in the “Sectoral Approaches Enhance Workforce Development” section on Page 5 of the Kansas City Fed’s Community Connections publication for Fall 2012.

Ray Marshall Center featured by Ascend, the Family Economic Security Program at The Aspen Institute: “Ascend, the Ray Marshall Center at UT-Austin (led by Ascend Fellow Chris King), and the Foundation for Child Development collaborated on a convening on Two-Generation Innovations in State and Local Policy.”  Click here to read the article.

 

The July 2012 e-newsletter for the Ray Marshall Center was released today. You can click on this link to view online or download the PDF version here. Newsletters are available every other month. If you would like to sign up to receive future newsletters via email, please enter your contact on this form: Newsletter Sign Up Page

The July 2012 issue of Change: The Magazine for Higher Learning features an article co-authored by Heath Prince, associate director of the Ray Marshall Center, and Matt Crellin and Patrick Kelly from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). In “Increasing College Attainment in the United States: Variations in Returns to States and Their Residents“, the authors present findings from work by the NCHEMS and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) on the public return to increasing postsecondary credential attainment and show evidence that the social and economic benefits of college attainment to the state economy varies from state to state.

Heath Prince, associate director of the Center, delivered the keynote presentation at the Ohio Transfer Council and the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Network’s event, Professional Development: Serving Adult Learners in Ohio, held on July 20 at Ohio University’s Pickerton campus. Event participants discussed strategies for improving postsecondary and adult education outcomes.  Prince’s presentation gave an overview of noncredit education, growing demand for occupational credentials, returns on investment on postsecondary education, and recommendations for creating a national competency-based qualifications framework. (Photo caption: Event participants discussing strategies. Photo credit: Ohio Transfer Council)

On July 17, Dr. Chris King, director and senior research scientist at the Ray Marshall Center and lecturer at the LBJ School of Public Affairs was interviewed by Greg Kerr on Fox Austin’s “Good Day” morning show. Topics discussed include stagnating unemployment rate in the U.S., how Texas’ economy compares to other states, and what factors will influence the direction of economy’s recovery.

Several researchers from the Ray Marshall Center will be speaking on panels and participating in the annual Fall Research Conference of the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management in Baltimore, Maryland on November 8 – 10. This year’s theme is “Policy Analysis and Public Management in an Age of Scarcity: The Challenges of Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency.” Panel sessions with the Center’s researchers will cover a range of topics including education, child policy, workforce development, and methods of research and evaluation. Details for each panel session are listed below.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER

10:15 – 11:45 AM

Session 2013: Central Texas Students Futures Project: Lessons From a Practitioner-Researcher Partnership
Location: Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel, Room: Hanover B
Participants: Deanna Schexnayder, Ray Marshall Center; Greg Cumpton, Ray Marshall Center; Christopher T. King, Ray Marshall Center; Drew Scheberle, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce; Kristin Boyer, TG; Camille Clay, Leander ISD

Session 3286: Measuring Returns On Investments in Human Capital: A Panel Discussion on Recent Research
Location: Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, Room: McKeldon
ROI Estimation for Workforce Development Programs
Authors: Kevin Hollenbeck, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research; Christopher T. King, Ray Marshall Center

Developing ROI Estimates for the Public-Sector Vocational Rehabilitation Program
Authors: David Dean, University of Richmond; John Pepper, University of Virginia; Robert Schmidt, University of Richmond; Steven Stern, University of Virginia

Exploratory Return On Investment Analysis of Local Workforce Investments
Authors: Tara Smith and Christopher King, Ray Marshall Center

Increasing College Attainment In the United States: Variation In Returns to States and Their Residents
Authors: Patrick Kelly and Matt Crellin, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; Heath Prince, Ray Marshall Center

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9

9:45 – 11:15 AM

Session 2043: State Advisory Councils On Early Childhood Education and Care: The Vision and the Reality
Location: Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel, Room: Hanover B
Participants: Albert Wat, National Governors Association; Deanner Schexnayder, Ray Marshall Center;  Linda K. Smith, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Bobby Weber, Oregon State University; Lee Kreader, NCCP/Columbia University

1:00 – 2:30 PM
Session 1831: Reimagining America’s Skills Investment
Location: Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel, Room: Salon E
Participants: Larry A Good, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Christopher T. King, Ray Marshall Center; Carl Van Horn, John J. Heldrich Center/Rutgers University

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Poster Session 3733: Predicted Individual and Cumulative Effects of College Preparation Activities on College Enrollment in Central Texas
Location: Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, Room: Liberty A & B
Author: Greg Cumpton, Ray Marshall Center

On Jan. 29, Dr. Chris King, director and senior research scientist at the Ray Marshall Center and lecturer for the LBJ School of Public Affairs, travelled to Cleveland, OH to participate in the 10th annual Policy Summit on Housing, Human Capital, and Inequality. Dr. King, along with Dr. Carolyn Heinrich, Sid Richardson Professor of Public Affairs at the LBJ School, provided a presentation entitled “How Effective Are Workforce Development Programs? Implications for U.S. Workforce Policies.” Drs. King and Heinrich disconnect between conventional wisdom on workforce development and their perceived effectiveness versus their actual effectiveness and impact. The policy summit brings together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders from across the country. According to the Summit’s website, the goal of the annual policy summits is “to discuss the latest research on promising practices in economic policy and development in low- and moderate-income communities.”

The Ohio Education Research Center held a conference on June 28 in Colombus, OH for educators, researchers, and others interested in using research-based findings to advance school improvement.  Ray Marshall Center director and senior research scientist Dr. Chris King delivered the keynote address and presentation entitled Putting Research into Action for Student, School, and System Success.  Dr. King’s presented an overview of the Central Texas Student Futures Project, its impact, successes, and lessons learned.

In the Sunday June 24 edition of the Austin American Statesman, Ray Marshall Center director, Dr. Chris King, comments on the potential for new midlevel jobs to emerge as baby boomers retire. The article “Many midlevel jobs go missing as employment market changes,” by Dan Zehr discusses how entry level positions are being replaced by machines and automation. High demand and high growth sectors such as technology and health care demand skills and education beyond a high school diploma. Zehr notes, “For a large portion of Austin’s population, the jobs that once would’ve afforded a better life for them and their families aren’t coming back. And the new midrange jobs require a different set of skills.”

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