Whither the virtuous cycle? Past and future trends in black–white inequality in educational attainment

The inequality in the relative years of education between blacks and whites has diminished dramatically over the 20th century. One possible explanation for this convergence is a virtuous cycle of parents passing on educational advantage, from one generation to the next, leading to an overall educational upgrading. In this paper we test the virtuous cycle hypothesis by estimating the three way interaction of cohort, race, and family background. We find that the convergence in educational attainment between blacks and whites over the past century was driven by processes unrelated to family background.

► We examine the convergence of black–white educational attainment over the 20th century.
► We estimate a three way interaction of race, cohort, and family background.
► We find no support for the virtuous cycle hypothesis.
► We find that convergence was driven by processes unrelated to family background.