Equality of Schooling: Trends and Prospects

Among cohorts of U.S. men born during the first half of the twentieth century, as the length of schooling has increased, its variability has decreased and schooling has become more equally distributed. Intergenerational differences in schooling are larger than three years in some birth cohorts, but these differences may be declining, and the period of rapid increase in levels of schooling appears to be ending. The disadvantages in schooling associated with farm background, broken families, Southern birth, black skin, and Spanish origin appear to be declining, but those associated with poorly educated or low status fathers and with large families have persisted. Family origins consistently explain at least 55 percent of the variance in schooling, and perhaps as much as 70 percent. Since the end of World War II schooling of parents has continued to increase, and this implies continuing demand for increased schooling in future years.