THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF MARRIED VERSUS DIVORCED FAMILY CONFIGURATION AND SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS ON THE EDUCATIONAL-ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MIDDLE-GRADE STUDENTS

This article reports research examining the relative effects of parent al marital status and socioeconomic status (SES) on the educational ac hievement of African American middle-grade students. Analyses;af data from a nationally representative sample (NELS:88) reveal that at lower levels of SES, African American students from divorced households sco red significantly higher an a standardized test. measure. At the mean and higher levels of SES, no significant difference teas found between students from divorced and married households on the test measure. Th e article concludes with discussion of the reasons behind these findin gs and the implications of the findings for public policy.