Summary

Description

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is a study that is part of the Longitudinal Studies Branch (LSB) program; program data is available since 1988 at . NELS:88 (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nels88/) is a longitudinal study that is designed to provide trend data about critical transitions experienced by students as they leave middle or junior high school, and progress through high school and into postsecondary institutions or the work force. A nationally representative sample of eighth-graders were first surveyed in the spring of 1988. A sample of these respondents were then resurveyed through four follow-ups in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2000. Overall weighted response rate was unavailable as of December 2014. Key statistics produced from NELS:88 data can be used for policy-relevant research about educational processes and outcomes, for example: student learning; early and late predictors of dropping out; and school effects on students' access to programs and equal opportunity to learn.