Latino Adolescent Academic Outcomes in the United States

Although the U.S. student population has grown
increasingly diverse both in terms of ethnicity and
immigrant generational status since the late 1980s,
schools have become more racially and ethnically
segregated. Data also reveal that Latinos, the
nation s largest minority, have become increasingly
segregated over the last 30 years, with their
segregation levels surpassing those of African-
Americans. The primary reason for focusing on
Latinos adolescents is that they consistently
account for the highest high school dropout rate
among the major ethnic groups in the U.S.
Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent
Health (Add Health) data, I examined the interplay
of school racial and socioeconomic composition,
school social capital, family social capital, ethnic
origin, and immigrant generational status on
measures of school success, such as school grades
and standardized test scores, while controlling for
individual (e.g., sex, age) and family (e.g., family
structure, SES) factors.

Autorentext

Igor Ryabov is an Assistant Professor at the University ofTexas Pan American. He received his Ph.D. in 2005 fromBowling Green State University. His teaching and research interests include migration, family and marriage, sociological theory, research methods, organizational and institutional change, gender and ethnic relations.

Klappentext

Although the U.S. student population has grown increasingly diverse both in terms of ethnicity and immigrant generational status since the late 1980s, schools have become more racially and ethnically segregated. Data also reveal that Latinos, the nation's largest minority, have become increasingly segregated over the last 30 years, with their segregation levels surpassing those of African-Americans. The primary reason for focusing on Latinos adolescents is that they consistently account for the highest high school dropout rate among the major ethnic groups in the U.S. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data, I examined the interplay of school racial and socioeconomic composition, school social capital, family social capital, ethnic origin, and immigrant generational status on measures of school success, such as school grades and standardized test scores, while controlling for individual (e.g., sex, age) and family (e.g., family structure, SES) factors.