Why has black-white skill convergence stopped?
By: Derek Neal.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 11090.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 11090.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 44
Subjects: African Americans -- Education -- Economic aspects; African Americans -- Education -- Social aspects
Description: "All data sources indicate that black-white skill gaps diminished over most of the 20th century, but black-white skill gaps as measured by test scores among youth and educational attainment among young adults have remained constant or increased in absolute value since the late 1980s. I examine the potential importance of discrimination against skilled black workers, changes in black family structures, changes in black household incomes, black-white differences in parenting norms, and education policy as factors that may contribute to the recent stability of black-white skill gaps. Absent changes in public policy or the economy that facilitate investment in black children, best case scenarios suggest that even approximate black-white skill parity is not possible before 2050, and equally plausible scenarios imply that the black-white skill gap will remain quite significant throughout the 21st century"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: "January 2005."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-44).

Also available in PDF from the NBER world wide web site (www.nber.org).