A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Mathematics Equals Opportunity (White Paper -- October 20, 1997)

Appendix

The NELS:88 data.The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) initially surveyed a nationally representative sample of 26,000 public and private school 8th grade students in 1988. The data collected include responses to student questionnaires, scores on standardized achievement tests, high school transcripts, and interviews with parents and teachers. Since the initial survey in 1988, the students have been resurveyed every two years, with the most recent data available gathered two years after their scheduled high school graduation in 1994. The analyses in this report are based on a sub-sample of over 13,000 individuals from whom data were collected in all three follow-up surveys. Analysis of course-taking patterns is based on student reports of 8th-grade course-taking and high school transcript data. The actual titles of mathematics courses as they appear on the transcripts may vary, despite covering similar content (for example, geometric concepts); accordingly, we have attempted to include all courses under the traditional course names (i.e. "geometry," "algebra II") reflective of their content.

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Last Updated -- October 20, 1997, (pjk)