%0 Journal Article
%T Completing the Educational Career: High School Graduation, Four
%A David M. Merolla
%J Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
%@ 2332-6506
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/2332649217727552
%X Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study, the author investigates racial disparities in high school graduation, four-year college enrollment, and bachelor¡¯s degree completion. In addition, the author considers how conditionally relevant college and early adult variables shape bachelor¡¯s degree completion. The results indicate that although comparable numbers of black and Hispanic students obtain bachelor¡¯s degrees, their educational career trajectories differ substantially. Compared with white students, black students are more likely to end their educational careers after starting college without completing a bachelor¡¯s degree, whereas Hispanic students are more likely to end their educational careers without entering a four-year college. Moreover, early adult and college-specific variables have a substantial impact on bachelor¡¯s degree completion and explain black-white disparities in bachelor¡¯s degree attainment. This research shows the continuing significance of race in shaping the educational outcomes of young adults at all stages of their educational careers
%K education
%K racial inequality
%K secondary/high school
%K higher education
%K life course
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332649217727552