A Multilevel Model of Structural and Normative School Influences on 12th-Grade Students’ Educational Expectations in the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 78
  In Roundtable Session: Precollege Access Factors

Abstract

School composition, climate, college-linking services, and student body “norms” that contribute to 12th grade students’ educational expectations from the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2004 (ELS: 2002/2004) are investigated. Multilevel models reveal substantial variation in the contribution of norms to student expectations. Schools with a high percent of students that go into the labor force or military appear to be negatively associated with educational expectations, while schools that have a higher percentage of students who enter four-year colleges are positively associated with expectations. The implications of such contextual influences are discussed.

Author

• Jennifer Lowman, University of Nevada - Reno