Background/Context: Although there has been progress in closing the test score gaps among student groups over past decades, that progress has stalled. Many researchers have speculated why the test score gaps closed between the early 1970s and the early 1990s, but only a few have been able to empirically study how changes in school factors and…

Designed to elicit information for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this questionnaire for counselors is concerned with time allocation, number of students assigned, types of counseling done, methodology for job placement of students, experience, educational background, personal data, and the counselor's experience…

Designed to elicit information for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, most of the information required in this questionnaire should be obtainable from the school's records. Information not available from the records is obtained by interviewing the student, using a blank copy of this questionnaire as an interview…

This paper summarizes recent experience of large-scale, nationally representative longitudinal youth transition studies in the United States. Two study series are considered. First is the longitudinal youth cohorts of the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Longitudinal Youth Study, with cohorts that started in 1979…

Designed to elicit information for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this questionnaire is completed by the parents or guardians of students participating in the Study. Questions concern parent attitudes toward higher education, financial support, ethnic and demographic information, income level, occupation and…

Designed to elicit information for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this objective questionnaire is divided into sections of questions, some to be answered by all twelfth grade students and some to be answered only by those whose future plans correspond to the question category. All students answer questions in the…

The paper describes a variety of analytical difficulties facing prospective users of the first follow-up of the National Center for Education Statistics National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) and suggests some possible approaches to coping with these. The primary focus is on the causes and consequences of selective…

Several previous studies have relied on religious affiliation and proximity to Catholic schools as exogenous sources of variation for identifying the effect of Catholic schooling on a wide variety of outcomes. Using three separate approaches, this study examined the validity of these instrumental variables. Evidence was obtained on the validity of…

The purpose of this user's manual is to document the procedures used to collect and process postsecondary school transcripts for members of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 who had attended any postsecondary institutions since leaving high school. In addition, this manual will provide researchers with the technical…

This report was prepared to provide participating school personnel and other concerned educators with a short summary of the National Longitudinal Study and some of the results to date. Part I describes the planning and development of the Study including information on samples, data collection, and procedures. Part II presents a brief description…

The National Longitudinal Survey of the high school class of 1972 was used to assess academic ability of elementary and secondary school teachers. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

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 National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) is an ongoing project focusing on the educational, vocational, and personal development of high school graduates, and the personal, familial, social, institutional, and cultural factors that contribute directly or indirectly to that development. A national probability sample of…

The methodology of five national surveys designed to estimate the scale and scope of training was analyzed to identify the reasons underlying the variability and unreliability of estimates of education and training. The five surveys were as follows: May Triennial Adult Education Supplement to the Current Population Survey, National Longitudinal…

Data collection activities for the second follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 involved contact with over 22,000 graduates. During the period from July 1974 through June 1975, survey activities included the mailout of newsletters to sample members, telephone tracing of those individuals whose…