have suggested that a higher rate of college enrollment among non-white high school
graduates may be explained by the effects of Affirmative Action.
Some family background characteristics are also related to education behavior. The
estimates in Table 2 imply that an increase in father’s education significantly increases
the enrollment hazard rate and significantly decreases the dropout hazard rate. While an
increase in mother’s education significantly increases the enrollment hazard. High school
graduates with father’s who worked in white-collar occupations have both significantly
higher college enrollment and graduation hazard rates and significantly lower college
dropout hazard rates than those with fathers who did not work in white-collar
occupations.
Having more siblings affects college-going behavior by significantly decreasing the
enrollment hazard. However, the number of siblings has no statistically significant impact
on either the dropout or graduation hazard.
Individuals who have a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.) are less likely to
enter college than individuals with a high school diploma. Moreover, among those entering
college, those with a G.E.D. have a significantly lower graduation hazard than those with
a high school diploma. Thus, those with exam certified high school equivalents have lower
educational attainment than those with high school diplomas (See Cameron and Heckman,
1993).
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