A new study based on data from a national longitudinal study reveal that, although former students who competed in college athletics are doing better economically by age 32 than those who did not, the education the athletes received is of questionable quality. Some criticize the study's methodology and conclusions. (MSE)

A longitudinal study of the educational paths of humanities majors was conducted with a sample of high school seniors who participated in the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972. Comparisons to the 1980 NLS seniors cohort were also made. Students completed a survey as seniors as well as four follow-up surveys. The…

A group of high school self-reported dropouts and a group of simulated high school dropouts were compared with graduates in their participation rates, efforts required for data collection, and the overall quality of their responses in the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The results indicate that dropouts are less…