Educational Outcomes of Academically Promising Latino Students

Anne K. Driscoll, University of California, Davis

Latinos continue to have lower educational expectations and educational attainment than other groups. Using NELS:88, this paper examines the link between educational expectations and college graduation and compares academically promising Latino students to similar whites, African Americans and Asians. Academically promising Latino males and females have lower rates of college graduation than whites and Asians; there is also a gap between Latina and African American females. Having consistently high expectations does not guarantee college graduation, but lacking such expectations is almost a guarantee of not finishing college. Controlling for expectations and additional views of their opportunities does not alter the bivariate racial/ethnic patterns for males or females. Controlling for SES eliminates racial/ethnic differences among males but not females. Latinas with modest expectations are particularly at risk for not earning a degree compared to other females; no such pattern was found for Latino males.