instruction in the United States are complicated by

(a) changing demands for basic skills in the

workplace, (b) an increase in immigrants who have

limited command of English, (c) changing federal

welfare policies, and (d) limited awareness on the

part of those with low reading and writing ability

that their skills are not sufficient for everyday

literacy needs. Past studies of supply and demand in

education in the United States have focused on

higher education largely because elementary and

secondary education have been compulsory and have

therefore not entailed demand-side considerations.

These studies have also concentrated on the

mismatch between worker skills and projected

workplace requirements; a more recent study,

however, has demonstrated that these projected

mismatches may have been exaggerated.

VenezkyWagner_supply_and_demand_95.pdf