Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 are used to detail the extent to which racial differences in the amount of educational resources students receive in eighth grade account for test score divergence that occurs between grades eight through twelve. The conceptual approach used in this study is unique in that it treats educational endowments as a fixed characteristic and assesses the extent to which it differentially affects test score improvement (divergence) over time for white and African American students. Findings suggest that net of family background, being advantaged on educational endowments in eighth grade is an important reason test scores for White students improve at a faster rate between middle and high school compared to African American students. The sample consists of 6,905 White students and 869 African American students who were followed from grade eight through twelve.