Blacks and Mexican Americans do not attain the levels of education enjoyed by whites. There are two possible explanations for these differences: (1) either the process of educational attainment varies across ethnic groups, or (2) if the process is invariant, whites start with social advantages not shared by blacks and Mexican Americans, and thus…

Using data from the Project Talent study of the high school class of 1961 and the National Longitudinal Study of the high school class of 1972 (NLS), current patterns of enrollment in post secondary education were compared with patterns of ten years ago. Differences in college entry rates were examined among groups defined by sex, ability, ethnic…

Some findings about attrition from two- and four-year colleges and universities based on the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) are presented. Attrition is defined as withdrawal from college without completing a degree. After 2 years, the four-year institutions had lost 23.5 percent of their entrants. More two-year…

A review of the literature on the validity and reliability of survey data is presented prior to an analysis of the reliability of selected questions in the Second Followup Questionnaire of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). The reliability study includes an evaluation of test-retest reliability as a function of…