Family profiles and educational attainment

The educational attainment of participants in the Chicago Longitudinal Study (93% Black and 7% Hispanic) was examined. Cluster analysis on measures of human capital resources, family dynamics and demographics was used to identify four distinct profiles of families. In general, children who had family profiles characterized by higher levels of human capital resources and more favorable scores on indictors of parenting practices towards children's schooling and family functioning were more likely to have higher educational attainment than other children. Moreover, children who experienced a positive change in family profile characteristics between the ages of 8 and 12 were more likely to have higher educational attainment than other children. Implications for intervention and research are discussed.