Can policy facilitate human capital development? The critical role of student and family engagement in schools

摘要

Low levels of labor force participation constitute a tremendous waste of human potential, which may have profound effects over the life span. Long-term unemployment remains at historically high levels in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' official unemployment data, 11.7 million Americans were unemployed in April 2013, and 4.4 million (37%) were jobless for 27 weeks or more. These statistics do not take into account the 2.3 million people who have given up on job seeking, or the 7.9 million involuntary part-time workers unable to find full-time jobs. In fact, the February 2013 civilian labor force participation rate was only 63.3%, a 35-year low.