Does Education Reform Make Recruiting More Difficult?
Abstract
In recent years, the number of people age 19 or younger who earn General Education Development (GED) certificates rather than high school diplomas has increased appreciably. At the same time, states have substantially increased requirements for high school graduation. The two primary paths for tightening graduation requirements are implementing exit exams and increasing the Carnegie-unit requirements. Exit exams are standardized tests that students must pass (in addition to completing course work) to receive diplomas; Carnegie-unit requirements specify the number and type of courses that students must pass to graduate. Both of these changes have the potential to make recruiting more difficult for DoD. Those who graduate with GEDs rather than traditional high school diplomas enter the Services with a Tier 2 credential. The total proportion of accessions with Tier 2 or 3 credentials is limited by DoD and the Services. In addition, those who lack Tier 1 credentials are not eligible for some fields/bonuses and must score higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) than traditional high school graduates. For these reasons, an increase in the proportion of young people with GEDs essentially reduces the pool of potential recruits with preferred credentials. In this research, we use data from the 2000 Census to examine how changes in GED recipiency, the use of high school exit exams, and increasing Carnegie requirements affect the size and quality of the pool of potential enlisted applicants of the Navy and the Marine Corps. We next examine how these changes in education requirements affect the proportion who enter the Services with alternate credentials (no high school diploma). Finally, we look at how education policies affect the quality and performance of those who are accepted for enlistment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA593789
Entities
People
- Diana S. Lien
- Jennie W. Wenger
Organizations
- Center for Naval Analyses