David B. Bills is Associate Professor in the division of Planning, Policy and Leadership Studies at the University of Iowa. He is the editor of The New Modern Times: Factors Reshaping the World of Work (1995).

“David Bills’ brilliant synthesis and critique of research on the education/work nexus now stands as the definitive reference source on the topic. It is a masterful work by our leading authority on this important linkage.” David K. Brown, Illinois State University “This is a crucial, up-to-date formulation of the relationship between credentialism, work skills, and stratification in today's society. This is the box that everyone is locked in, and Bills tells us the most important things we need to know about it.” Randall Collins, University of Pennsylvania

• List of Tables And Figures. Acknowledgments.1. Education And Work: Establishing Some Terrain.The Ambiguous Relationships Between Education And Work / Education And Work: What Are We Talking About? / The Contested Nature Of Sociological Concepts / Education, Work, And What Else? / Education And Work In The United States And Elsewhere / Education And Not-Work / Plan Of The Book.2. Schooling And Socioeconomic Success: Establishing Their Relationship.Schooling And Socioeconomic Attainment / Does The Myth Of Schooling And Socioeconomic Success Hold? / How Do We Explain The Grip Of The “School For Success” Model Among Americans: Schooling As Panacea / Some Dissenting Views.3. Two Models Of The Relationships Between Education And Work.Meritocrats And Credentialists / The Meritocracy / Credentialism.4. Is The U.S. A Meritocratic Or A Credentialist Society?.The Status Attainment Model As An Organizing Framework / Some General Findings On Status Attainment: What Are The Overall Trends And Patterns? / How Do Employers Think About And Act Upon Education And Other Credentials? / Summary.5. Education And Work In The Post-Industrial Society.The Structure Of Contemporary Society / Daniel Bell’s Formulation Of The Post-Industrial Society / More Specific Features Of Post-Industrialism And How They Shape The Relationships Between Education And Work / Education And Work In The Post-Industrial Society.6. Demographic Booms And Busts, Aging, And The New Cultural Diversity.A Demographic Perspective On Education And Work / Some Demographic Preliminaries / The Baby Boom, The Baby Bust, And So On / Racial And Ethnic Differences In Fertility / The Movement Of People: Immigration And Internal Migration / The Changing Life Course / Putting The Demographic Changes Together: The Racialized, Disorderly, And Forevermore Aging Of America / What Does All Of This Add Up To?.7. The Transformation Of The High School, The Coming Of Mass Higher Education, And The Youth Labor Market.Changing Linkages Between Education And Work / The Shifting Role Of High School As Preparation For Work: Schooling And Socialization / How Schooling Prepares Students For The World Of Work / Departures From The Ideal Type Of Socialization For Work / The Formal Curriculum / Vocational Education / The Hidden Curriculum And School Socialization / Interim Summary And An Unresolved Issue / The Advent Of The Youth Labor Market / The Transition From High School To Work In The United States / Conclusion: Young People, Schooling, And Jobs.8. The Possibilities Of A Learning Society.Lifelong Learning And Adult Education In The United States / The Rise And Fall (And Rise And Fall) Of Job Training / Apprenticeships, Community Colleges, And Other Adult Learning Settings / Other Forms Of Postsecondary Education / Learning By Long Distance: The Possibilities Of Information Technology For Bridging School And Work / Certifying The New Modes Of Training / Chapter Summary.9. The Future Of Education And Work.Conclusion: Education And Work In The “New Modern Times”.References.Name Index.Subject Index