When we think about smart investments, we usually think about the stock market, real estate or retirement accounts. But there’s another investment that delivers consistent, lifelong returns for individuals and society alike: education.
That’s according to a new working paper by the U of A Department of Education Reform and Angelica Rivera-Olvera, a consultant in economics at the World Bank. The two examined the relationship between education and earnings in Arkansas, using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 Current Population Survey.
“Our goal was to answer a simple but important question: How much does an extra year of school pay off in the Arkansas job market?” said Harry Patrinos, head of the education reform department and Twenty-first Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy in the College of Education and Health Professions. “The answer is clear—education pays.”…