Stratification in Course-Taking and Health

• In Event: How Schools and Neighborhoods Matter

Abstract

Individuals with more education have better health outcomes, but individuals with worse health are also less likely to earn educational credentials. This study investigates how one aspect of the process of education, high school course-taking, is related to health. High school courses place individuals on different paths of educational attainment in adulthood and build cognitive and noncognitive skills in students, both supporting better health outcomes. Using the High School & Beyond study, we estimate the course-taking opportunities for students with health impairments and the relationship between course-taking and health at midlife. We find that students with disabilities and unhealthy weight take lower-level courses. Conditioning on selection into coursework, our results suggest that college-prep math course-taking benefits students’ health at midlife.

Authors

• Jamie Mary Carroll, The University of Texas - Austin

• Chandra Muller, The University of Texas - Austin

• John R. Warren, University of Minnesota

• Eric Grodsky, University of Wisconsin