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Validating Self-Reported Education: Results of a Pilot Study Jesse Rothstein Cecilia Rouse

Validating Self-Reported Education: Results of a Pilot Study Jesse Rothstein Cecilia Rouse Ashley Miller. How many high school graduates are there?. Current Population Survey Gives “status completion” rate: # of 25-year-old graduates / 25-year-old population Common Core of Data

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Validating Self-Reported Education: Results of a Pilot Study Jesse Rothstein Cecilia Rouse

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  1. Validating Self-Reported Education: Results of a Pilot Study Jesse Rothstein Cecilia Rouse Ashley Miller

  2. How many high school graduates are there? • Current Population Survey Gives “status completion” rate:# of 25-year-old graduates / 25-year-old population • Common Core of Data Gives “school-based completion rate”:# of graduates in year t / # of 9th graders in t-3. • CPS estimates much higher than CCD estimates • 2000/2 cohorts: 84% CPS vs. 70% CCD

  3. CPS vs. CCD-based graduation rates

  4. Two easy issues • HS diploma attainment rises with age in CPS • Delayed completion? • Adult education / GEDs? • Misreporting? • “9th grade bulge” • CCD estimates usually use 9th grade enrollment as denominator • Many students are held back in 9th grade • 9th grade enrollment consistently about 7-10% higher than 8th grade enrollment through 1990s • These reduce the problem, but don’t eliminate it.

  5. CPS vs. CCD-based graduation rates

  6. Not very sensitive to definitions • CCD-based estimates all tend to yield similar answers. • Mishel and Roy (2006): Get same answers with CPS, Census, NELS, NLSY.

  7. Alternative graduation rates, existing data

  8. Not very sensitive to definitions • CCD-based estimates all tend to yield similar answers. • Mishel and Roy (2006): Get same answers with CPS, Census, NELS, NLSY. • Except!  Some evidence that GEDs can account for a lot of the discrepancy (Heckman and LaFontaine 2007)

  9. Alternative graduation rates, existing data

  10. Potential explanations • Attainment increase with age is poorly understood • Proxy responses in CPS may overstate graduation • Respondents may overstate own graduation • “Some college” may not have graduated HS • Regular diplomas vs. GEDs, certificates of attendance, adult ed., etc. • Public vs. private schools • Immigrants/emigrants since HS • Grade retention • Divergent definitions in CCD • CPS excludes armed forces, prisoners • Poor coverage in CPS

  11. Potential explanations that we will address • Attainment increase with age is poorly understood • Proxy responses in CPS may overstate graduation • Respondents may overstate own graduation • “Some college” may not have graduated HS • Regular diplomas vs. GEDs, certificates of attendance, adult ed., etc. • Public vs. private schools • Immigrants/emigrants since HS • Grade retention • Divergent definitions in CCD • CPS excludes armed forces, prisoners • Poor coverage in CPS

  12. Our Sample…. • Sample frame = Households likely to have an 18-25 year old member (complied by a commercial vendor). • We purchased 1,000 (randomly selected) phone numbers. • Our target was 50 “completed” inteviews.

  13. Survey implementation consisted of three steps. Step 1: Mimic the CPS • Conduct a “CPS-style” interview with a HH member who was at least 18 years old (the “household respondent”). Note: We ended up with 2 versions (“A” and “B”) where version “A” asked for a full HH roster while version “B” asked initially if an 18-25 year old lived in the HH; only asked questions about one 18-25 year old. • Probe more on education questions, particularly regarding alternative types of high school degrees. • Ask for the name and location of the last high school attended by the young adult, as well as year of high school graduation.

  14. Step 2: Verify Proxy Report and Respondent Understanding of CPS-style Education Question • Ask similar “CPS-style” education questions of the young adult him or herself (“initial report”). • Probe further on education questions (“final report”). • Also ask for the name and location of last high school attended as well as year of high school graduation.

  15. Step 3: Verify Proxy and Self-reports with Administrative Data • Send a letter to the high school requesting verification of reported high school graduation information. • Follow-up with a telephone call for a subset of schools that did not respond within 10-12 days.

  16. Table 1: Sample sizes (Part I)

  17. Table 1: Sample sizes (Part II)

  18. Table 1: Sample sizes (Part III)

  19. Conclusion • We find a high level of agreement between proxy respondents, the young adults themselves and high school administrative records on whether individual has a high school diploma (or equivalent). • We see less agreement between proxy respondents and young adults on college attendance. • Questions about modes of high school completion should be asked of those with a college education as well as those with only a high school education.

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