Current patterns in postsecondary education can be compared to 10-year-old patterns by looking at differences in overall rates of college entry, and in college entry rates among groups as defined by sex, ability, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. (Author/EB)

The third follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972 was conducted from October, 1976 to May, 1977. From the data gathered, some of the following observations were made: (1) postsecondary school attendance declined from 54 to 25 percent from 1972 to 1976; (2) 39 percent of students who started…

Based on information beginning with the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this study describes the educational careers and labor market experience of women in the class of 1972 through the time they were 32 years old. Women's academic performance in high school was far stronger than that of men, yet, at the same time,…