FAMILY AND CHILD INFLUENCES ON EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT - A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE HIGH SCOPE FERRY PRESCHOOL DATA

The central question addressed in this study was, What factors contrib ute to individual differences in the educational attainment of African American young adults from families of low socioeconomic status? A se condary analysis of the Ferry Preschool data set was conducted. Unlike earlier studies that focused on the effects of preschool on the Ferry participants, this study focused on the influence of family and child characteristics on educational attainment. Results showed that charac teristics of the participants at the time of school entry were predict ive of the participants' achievement and, ultimately, their educationa l attainment. Family processes were also related to the participants' achievement, attainment, and study habits. Educational attainment was related to income, occupational prestige, and employment history at ag e 27.