ONE-PARENT HOUSEHOLDS AND ACHIEVEMENT - ECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL EXPLANATIONS OF A SMALL EFFECT

Results from analyses of High School and Beyond show that students from one-parent households have significantly lower grades and test scores than do those from two-parent households. Students from one-parent households have test scores that are about .30 standard deviations lower, but this finding seems to be explained by differences in race-ethnicity and the educational level parents. Both mother absence and father absence reduce students' grades, by .17 and .27 standard deviations, respectively. Controls on race-ethnicity and parental education reduce the effect of father absence to .13 standard deviations and mother absence to .12. These effects cannot be explained by the depressed income of one-parent households. They can, however, be reduced to zero by controlling for the behavior of one-parent children, especially for school lateness/absences, not doing homework, not having contact with parents, and frequent dating.