published in: Economics of Education Review, 2004, 23 (4), 361-379
This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the largely ignored issue of the
determinants of the educational attainment of adults by immigrant generation. Using Current
Population Survey (CPS) data, differences in educational attainment are analyzed by
immigrant generation (first, second, and higher order generations), and among the foreign
born by country of birth and age at immigration. Second-generation American adults have the
highest level of schooling, exceeding that of the foreign born and of the native born with
native-born parents. Teenage immigration is associated with fewer years of schooling
compared to those who immigrated at pre-teen or post-teen ages. The gender difference in
educational attainment is greatest among the foreign born. Hispanics and Blacks lag behind
the non-Hispanic whites in their educational attainment, with the gap narrowing for higher
order immigrant generations among Hispanics, but rising among blacks.
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