The National Center for Educational Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education NCES.  The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.  The Center is the “go-to” for all things education. 

Regarding Parental Influence on education and remaining in the educational pipelines, the NCES identifies significant correlations between parental educational attainment and the next generation.  More specifically, NCES reported the following:

1. At the end of a 10year span, first-generation students were found to enroll in college less than 12 percent of their counterparts whose parents attended college.  Data also showed for counterparts whose parents completed a 4-year college degree, the difference was 19 percent respectively  NCES. 
2. One third of first-generation college students abort the college pipeline within three years, while the student departure rate drops to 26 percent for students whose parents had some college education, and to 14 percent for students whose parents have earned a 4-year college degree.
3. The pursuit of terminal degrees is equally limited. First-generation students purse terminal degrees at only 4 percent; counterparts whose parents have some college pursue doctorate/professional degrees at 5 percent; and 10 percent of students whose parents earned a 4-year college degree.

Ultimately, the trends illuminate the educational achievement gaps and widen the wage income gaps as it relates post-secondary education.  Furthermore, the data also reveals the such gaps along racial/ethnic divides.

As America’s tapestry population marches steadily towards the Majority Minority Nation – 2044, it is imperative that racial/ethnic minority (African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Asian, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans) groups rewrite a new and improved educational story.  It is time of parents to leave a legacy of educational prowess; breaking the trends and resetting the trajectory.   

Post-secondary education is often viewed as the key to unlocking professional, higher-wage yielding occupations, salaries, and benefits; promoting long-term socio-economic stability.  Research shows students who represent lower socio-economic status also have the largest representation of unemployment rates.   The relationship perpetuates a vicious cycle, making it nearly impossible to escape.  A smaller percentage of students of low socioeconomic status (SES) than students of middle SES attained a bachelor’s or higher degree within 8 years of high school completion (14 vs. 29 percent), and percentages for both groups were smaller than the percentage of high-SES students who attained this level of education (60 percent) Differences by Socio-Economic Status. 

Finally, the disparity of post-secondary degree attainment across racial divides forecasts the educational and socio-economic challenges, colliding with the “tanning-of-a-nation” to create insurmountable issues impacting America’s global competitiveness.  Simply stated, as minority groups continue to populate more rapidly than their white counterparts, the population growth will exacerbate the need for equity in education. 

This posting is part of the "#ALL Lives Matter: An Educational Perspective",  six-part series, which investigates the benefits and detriments of education across racial and ethnic divides.