Impact of Family and School Capital on the Academic Development of African American and Hispanic Students

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of family/school capital on the academic development of African American and Hispanic students by examining four educational outcomes (math/reading achievement at the tenth grade, high school graduation, post-secondary enrollment and post-secondary degree attainment) from the tenth grade through their post-secondary education. The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics provided the data source. Hierarchical linear regression, multilevel binary logistic regression, and logistic regression were utilized to quantify the impact of family/school capital on the educational outcomes of African American and Hispanic students. Family and school capital variables significantly impact African American and Hispanic students’ educational outcomes. For African American students, parents’ educational expectations, family total income, teachers’ professional qualifications, and school’s socio-economic status significantly affected their math/reading achievement at the tenth grade. For Hispanic students, parents’ educational expectations, family total income, family composition, student-parent interaction, student’s socio-economic status, school control, and school socio-economic composition affected their math/reading achievement at the tenth grade. For African American students, gender, family total income, student-parent interaction, parent-school interaction, teachers’ educational attainment, and school percentage of students who receive free lunch significantly affected their high school graduation. For Hispanic students, gender, parents’ educational attainment, family composition, parent-student interaction affected High school graduation. For African American students, gender, parents’ educational attainment, family composition, parents’ participation in cultural activities with their children, school socio-economic composition, and school percentage of minority students significantly affected their post-secondary enrollment. For Hispanic students, gender, parents’ educational expectations, parents’ educational attainment, family composition, parent-student interaction, parent-school interaction, school control, and school’s socio-economic status affected post-secondary enrollment. For African American students, parents’ educational attainment, parent-school interaction, and school control significantly affected post-secondary degree attainment. For Hispanic students, parents’ educational expectations, family total income, parent-student interaction, school-parent interaction, school percentage of students who receive free lunch, and school percentage of minority students affected post-secondary degree attainment.