| Juan Alonso
Teachers College, Columbia University
Noncognitive skills as determinants of black-white educational and socioeconomic gaps
FINAL REPORT:
This study contributes to the literature on Black-White gaps in educational and labor market outcomes by suggesting that noncognitive skills may play a fundamental role in the explanation of these disparities. In particular, this work focuses on the group of noncognitive skills included in the overarching concept of antisocial behavior, and attempts to determine whether Black-White gaps in the level of antisocial behavior in adolescence are a significant contributor to Black-White gaps in educational and economic outcomes measured in young adulthood. Two longitudinal and nationally representative databases, NELS:88 and ELS:02, are utilized for carrying out the quantitative analysis. Four key results are found. First, there is a statistically significant Black-White gap in the degree of antisocial behavior in adolescence; however, most of the gap is driven by a very large female gap, with Black females sharply exceeding White females in the degree of antisocial behavior. Second, the Black-White gap in the antisocial behavior index (ABI) in 12th grade is mostly explained both by differences in the 8th grade ABI and by differences in the endowments along a small set of other background factors (socioeconomic status, past academic performance, and peer effects -- this latter only for females). Third, Black-White gaps in the ABI in adolescence are a significant predictor of both educational and economic outcomes in young adulthood. However, they affect Blacks disproportionately more than otherwise equivalent Whites. As regards educational outcomes, increased antisocial behavior in adolescence has a significantly greater negative impact on 12th grade math and reading test scores, in particular for Black males when compared to White males. As far as labor market outcomes are concerned, Black males with high levels of antisocial behavior in 8th grade tend to receive lower earnings compared to equivalent White counterparts; for Black females instead, greater antisocial behavior in adolescence has a more negative impact on the probability of employment compared to White females. Fourth, when Black-White gaps in the ABI are split into differences in endowments and differences in coefficients, the latter play a major role in explaining Black-White gaps in educational and economic outcomes of young adults.
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