To
work or not to work
That is the
question
1 There are numerous and reliable ways by which one can measure the impact of
employment on student achievement, and we used several in our research. We
compared the grades of students who work a great deal with those who work in limited
amounts or not at all. We also contrasted workers with non-workers, on different
indicators of their commitment to education. Additionally, we followed students over
time as they increased or decreased their work hours, and we assessed how different
patterns of employment altered school performance and engagemer
2 We have simplified and classified the data and the results are clear: The stakes are
high. A heavy commitment to a part-time job during the academic year, say, working
20 hours per week or more, undermines and significantly interferes with school
achievement and commitment. Overall, our study offers proof that students who
worked more than 20 hours weekly were not comparable to their classmates. They
earned lower grades, spent less time on
ork, cut class more often, and cheated
more frequently. And they reported lower levels of commitment to school and more
modest educational aspirations.
3 On the other hand, we also detected a different pattem. Working for approximately
10 hours per week ot less seemingly does not take a consistent toll on school
O
SHOT ON MI6
M DUAL CAMERA
147
