Rising inequality in the United States has raised concerns about potentially widening gaps in educational achievement by socio-economic status (SES). Using assessments from LTT-NAEP [Long-Term Trend assessment administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress], Main-NAEP, TIMSS [Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study],…

Recent studies have found a large earnings premium to attending a more selective college, but the mechanisms underlying this premium have received little attention and remain unclear. In order to shed light on this question, I develop a multidimensional signaling model relying on college grades and selectivity that rationalizes students' choices…

This report provides guidance and documentation for users of the combined base-year to third follow-up data of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). ELS:2002 is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. The base-year and follow-up studies…

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) tracks the educational and developmental experiences of a nationally representative sample of high school sophomores in the United States. This First Look report provides a descriptive portrait of these 2002 tenth-graders a decade later, when most were about 26 years old and had been out of high…

This report describes patterns of continuity and change over time in four areas of the transition to adulthood among young adults as measured 2 years after their senior year of high school. The four areas are postsecondary enrollment, labor force roles, family formation, and civic engagement through voting or military service. The analysis…

Analysis of National Longitudinal Study data used an ordered probit model of schooling choice to correct for selection bias. Evidence indicates that selection bias does not account for the high rate of return for completing college compared to having "some college." (SK)

Transcript data from the National Longitudinal Study confirmed economic returns for bachelor's degrees and found indirect returns for associate degrees and certificates. Those who enroll in but fail to complete postsecondary education have earnings comparable to high school graduates. Fundamental differences in labor markets for college graduates…

The author compares new estimates of college dropout rates with earlier studies, examines trends in enrollment rates and degree awards, and presents estimates of enrollment inflows and outflows. (SK)

Examines preadult factors affecting participation in adult education. Findings suggest that such participation is the result of processes occurring throughout life, and that the processes leading to credit and noncredit forms differ. (DM)

Through several decades of research, a great deal has been written about trends in black-white test scores and the factors that may explain the gaps in different subject areas. Only a few studies have examined the changing relationships between gaps in students' test scores and family and school measures in nationally representative data over…

Since President Obama took office, he has repeatedly called for the United States to significantly improve its postsecondary education performance. One goal in particular has gained wide attention: the President's declaration that in an ever more competitive global marketplace, the United States must once again lead the world in college…

The present study, based on recent data and methods that control for estimated measurement error structures, finds that social background plays a similar role for Whites and Blacks in determining educational attainment. (Author/LMO)

Using a structural equation model of educational attainment, a study extends and supports previous investigations of educational discontinuities among American White and Black males and females by using data from a national longitudinal study. (MSE)

Although a number of studies have been conducted to examine the status attainment process, very few have focused on differences in educational attainment for black, white, and Hispanic females. The primary purpose of this study was to test predictive models of attainment for these subgroups. Variables considered potentially important to the…

A study examined student satisfactions and reports of their college academic experiences as outcomes of higher education, based on institutional data and data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Data were analyzed in terms of college characteristics, academic discipline, educational attainment, and student…