The problems inherent in analyzing data in which subjects are "nested" within hierarchical units (such as classrooms or schools), and thus are not independent of one another, are addressed through the use of Joreskog's LISREL model for analyzing covariance matrices. A solution to the problem is proposed and illustrated using data from…

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…

Adolescent parenthood was investigated based on a large panel study known as the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) which has tracked over 22,000 adolescents who are now in their early 20's and have experienced many of the near-term consequences of early parenthood. Procedures for creating variables that mark entry…

After reviewing the research design, objectives, and basic conceptual model for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS), this document describes the survey plan and issues for the third followup survey. Data analyses--both those that are in progress or planned--are summarized. These activities include composite score…

This memorandum demonstrates a variance components methodology for partitioning the overall design effect (D) for a ratio mean into stratification (S), unequal weighting (W), and clustering (C) effects, so that D = WSC. In section 2, a sample selection scheme modeled after the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NKS)…

An efficiency study was conducted of the base year design used for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). Finding the optimal design involved a search for the numbers of sample schools and students that would maximize the variance at a given cost. Twenty-one variables describing students' plans, attitudes,…

Using data from the fifteen-year National Longitudinal Study (NLS), a special study examined the interaction of work-related attitudes and subsequent behavior for eight age-sex-race groups. It was found that attitudes do influence subsequent work behavior. Specifically, it was established that individuals who felt they could influence their future…

The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72) is the "grandmother" of the longitudinal studies designed and conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, and is probably the richest archive ever assembled on a generation of Americans. Participants were selected as high school seniors in 1972 and…

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 were used in a study to investigate the relative effectiveness of high school grades and standardized aptitude test scores, together with demographic characteristics, in predicting early postsecondary educational activity of high school seniors. Self concept and locus of…

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…