The Relative Importance of Parental Configuration for Latinx Students’ Educational Attainment

Abstract

Although many studies have examined the importance of parental configuration for Latinx students’ educational attainment, few have considered the longitudinal impact of one versus two-parent households on Latinx children’s educational attainment. This article employs intersectionality as a theoretical framework and utilizes a nationally representative sample from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) Education Longitudinal Study to investigate the importance of parental configuration on educational attainment. Findings show that (1) parental configuration had no impact; (2) though analyses were conducted separately for males and females, no major gender differences were found; and (3) for the final/full models, public schools mattered for female students, while parental social capital and socioeconomic status mattered for both female and male students.