TY  - JOUR
AU  - Heckman,James J.
AU  - LaFontaine,Paul A.
TI  - The American High School Graduation Rate: Trends and Levels
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 13670
PY  - 2007
Y2  - December 2007
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13670
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13670.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
James J. Heckman
Department of Economics
The University of Chicago
1126 E. 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Tel: 773/702-0634
Fax: 773/702-8490
E-Mail: jjh@uchicago.edu

Paul A. LaFontaine
NORC
1155 E. 60th Street
Chicago  IL  60637
E-Mail: plafonta@gmail.com
AB  - This paper uses multiple data sources and a unified methodology to estimate the trends and levels of the U.S. high school graduation rate.  Correcting for important biases that plague previous calculations, we establish that (a) the true high school graduation rate is substantially lower than the official rate issued by the National Center for Educational Statistics; (b) it has been declining over the past 40 years; (c) majority/minority graduation rate differentials are substantial and have not converged over the past 35 years; (d) the decline in high school graduation rates occurs among native populations and is not solely a consequence of increasing proportions of immigrants and minorities in American society; (e) the decline in high school graduation explains part of the recent slowdown in college attendance; and (f) the pattern of the decline of high school graduation rates by gender helps to explain the recent increase in male-female college attendance gaps.
ER  -