THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH-SCHOOL DROPOUT AND SCHOOL DISENGAGEMENT ON THE RISK OF SCHOOL-AGE PREGNANCY

Using data from a recent longitudinal cohort of 8th graders, I found t hat factors relevant to teens' school experiences-including characteri stics of their school and classroom, their family background, and indi vidual engagement-were associated with the risk of school-age pregnanc y leading to a live birth. The research tested whether high school dro pout status, or other measures of school engagement, similarly influen ced the likelihood of school-age pregnancy among White, Black, and His panic teens. A set of proportional hazards models indicated that for a ll racial and ethnic groups, high levels of school engagement were ass ociated with postponing pregnancy. Among White and Hispanic teens, dro pouts-especially young dropouts-were more likely to have a school-age pregnancy, net of other family and educational factors. Although Afric an American teens did not show a relation between dropping out and the risk of pregnancy, other measures of engagement were important predic tors of having a school-age pregnancy for this group.