Essential Question 19

About this Essential Question

This question examines whether students are earning credentials (including degrees, certificates, badges, and more) that have value in the labor market and lead to economic opportunity. Credential value can vary significantly based on field of study, institutional quality, and labor market demand. There are known challenges in measuring credential quality and value—more than 4,000 credentialing bodies offer thousands of different credentials across sectors, and there is wide variation in how states track credentials and whether those credentials are valued by employers. Nonetheless, the relationship between credentials and employment outcomes is crucial: some certificates and degrees lead to higher-paying jobs and career advancement opportunities while others have limited economic return. Education leaders, workforce development partners, and policymakers can use this question to evaluate credential programs, assess labor market alignment, and ensure educational pathways lead to meaningful economic outcomes.

Probing Questions

Use these probing questions to dive deeper on the essential question or approach it through a different lens. Feel free to adapt these questions further or come up with your own.  

• How do students define "credentials of value?” How is credential value defined and measured by different postsecondary institutions and industries?  
• How do employment and earning outcomes vary by type of credential earned (such as a certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree)?  
• How do rates of credential completion vary by where individuals live and type of postsecondary institution they attend? How do they vary by students’ race and ethnicity, income level, first-generation college student status, parenting status, attendance intensity, and/or postsecondary major?
• How do institutional practices and conditions—such as expenditures per student or access to career advising—help or hinder credential attainment?  What other external factors may influence credential attainment?
• How might we better help all individuals earn credentials of value after high school that set them up for success in the workforce? What or conditions could be improved? Who needs to be involved?