GED = Dropout

New research: the GED has no resume value, but its misnomer as an "equivalent" credential might induce teenagers to needlessly leave high school.

by Collin Hitt

New research from Noble Laureate James Heckman: the GED has no resume value, but its misnomer as an “equivalent” credential might induce teenagers to needlessly leave high school. From the summary:

The General Educational Development (GED) credential is issued on the basis of an eight hour subject-based test. The test claims to establish equivalence between dropouts and traditional high school graduates, opening the door to college and positions in the labor market. In 2008 alone, almost 500,000 dropouts passed the test, amounting to 12% of all high school credentials issued in that year. This chapter reviews the academic literature on the GED, which finds minimal value of the certificate in terms of labor market outcomes and that only a few individuals successfully use it as a path to obtain post-secondary credentials…Recent work demonstrates that, through its availability and low cost, the GED also induces some students to drop out of school. The GED program is unique to the United States and Canada, but provides policy insight relevant to any nation’s educational context.

Prof. Heckman has been documenting the GED’s worthlessness for years. The entire study can be found on the National Bureau of Economic Research’s website.

Hat tip Joanne Jacobs.