Full Citation

Title: Hispanic High School Completion: The Rolw and Value of the GED

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2010

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Abstract: Many Hispanic adults have not graduated from high school yet relatively few Hispanic high school dropouts have finished high school by obtaining a GED or alternative high school credential. Only about 4% of Hispanic adults (representing 9% of adult Hispanic school dropouts) have a GED as their highest educational degree completed, matching the prevalence of the GED among white adults (4%). GEDs are not prevalent among Hispanics in part because of the large presence of immigrants among Hispanic school dropouts. Few Hispanic immigrants complete GEDs and the crosssectional evidence suggests that immigrants only seize the opportunity to finish high school as their time in the United States increases. Lack of English language fluency may also impede Hispanic dropouts from obtaining GEDs. The evidence is mixed on how valuable a GED is in the labor market. Among native-born Hispanic workers, dropouts with a GED are paid substantially less than Hispanics who graduated high school with a regular high school diploma, consistent with the research demonstrating the “non-equivalence” of the GED. But Hispanic foreign-born school dropouts who have obtained a GED are paid more than those who graduated high school, consistent with the hypothesis that U.S. employers may have difficulty sizing up the merits of workers with degrees earned abroad.

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Authors: Fry, Richard

Conference Name: Hispanic Economic Issues Conference

Publisher Location: Atlanta, GA

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Education, Migration and Immigration

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