Methodology Report:

National Education Longitudinal Study: 1988-1994: Methodology Report

March 1996

Overview

1.1 Purpose With the award of the base year contract in February 1986, NELS:88 joined the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72) and High School and Beyond (HS&B) as the third in a series of longitudinal studies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's (NCES). These studies provide trend data about critical transitions experienced by young people as they develop, attend school, and embark on their careers.

Given the challenges facing America's schools--to educate all our young people for the next decade--NELS:88 complements and has the potential to strengthen state and local efforts by furnishing new information on school policies, teacher practices, and family involvement, all of which affect student educational outcomes (academic achievement, persistence in school, and participation in postsecondary education). NLS-72 and HS&B surveyed high school seniors (HS&B also surveyed sophomores) through their high school, postsecondary education, and work and family formation experiences. Taken together, these three longitudinal studies not only measure educational attainment but also provide rich explanations of the reasons for and consequences of academic success and failure. Both NLS-72 and HS&B have influenced the school reform movement, and NELS:88 will provide comprehensive data for gauging the degree of the reform movement's success.

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For more information about the content of this report, contact Aurora D'Amico at Aurora.D'Amico@ed.gov.