Recent Findings in the Economics of Education Reform and Prospective Work at the Jim Self Center On The Future

Much attention has been given to education reform at the primary and secondary level in the United States since the “Coleman Report” (Coleman et. al., 1966). Consideration by Becker, Murphy and Tumura, (1993) , of the role of education on economic growth, the lagging performance of the U.S. relative to other nations at the primary and secondary educational levels, and competition among states to attract industry with a skilled labor force all serve to liven the public policy debate on education reform. This is true both nationally and in South Carolina. The aim of this paper is threefold: (1) to provide the casual reader a review of some recent findings by leading economists in the economics of education area (2) discuss a few terms/concepts that are endemic with respect to research in this area (3) touch on continuing research efforts at the Jim Self Center On The Future (JSCF) that are focused on South Carolina’s educational concerns.