Subsequent Educational Attainment of High School Dropouts

Book excerpt: This study uses data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study and its 1994 followup to examine the educational and employment attainment of 1988 eighth graders who dropped out of high school. About half of them ultimately completed high school. By 1994, 16% had completed a high school diploma, 29% had completed a General Educational Development (GED) or equivalency certificate, and 24% were working on a diploma or GED. The remaining one-third of dropouts had no credential and were not pursuing any further education. High school completion among dropouts was associated with socioeconomic status. Dropouts who had demonstrated academic ability, although not necessarily academic performance, were most likely to complete high school. By 1994, 2 years after most of the"cohort" had completed high school, high school completion among dropouts was associated with some educational, but few employment, characteristics. In 1994, most dropouts were either working, looking for work, or at home. About the same proportion of dropouts as 1988 eighth graders who had never dropped out reported working full time or part time in 1994, but those who had never dropped out were more likely to be taking academic courses. More than half of those who had never dropped out were enrolled in 2-year or 4-year postsecondary institutions. About one in four dropouts had enrolled in a postsecondary institution by 1994. One appendix is a glossary, and the other contains technical notes and remarks on methodology. (Contains 19 tables, 7 figures, and 12 references.) (SLD)