Disaggregate: Parental education level Breadcrumb Home Disaggregates Parental Education Level Definition Highest level of education achieved by either parent Why it matters Parents’ education levels are strongly associated with educational outcomes, including grades, graduation, and students’ aspirations for their own achievement.1, 2, 3 Individuals who have at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree have higher rates of bachelor’s degree attainment, higher median household income, and higher median wealth.4 Higher levels of parental education are also associated with intergenerational wealth and therefore greater economic security.5 What to know about measurement E-W systems should collect consistent information on the educational attainment of both parents—for example, by adopting the following categories used in the American Community Survey (ACS): no schooling completed; nursery school; grades 1 through 11; 12th grade—no diploma; regular high school diploma; general equivalency diploma (GED) or alternative credential; some college credit but less than one year of college; one or more years of college credit, no degree; associate’s degree; bachelor’s degree; master’s degree; professional degree beyond bachelor’s degree; doctorate degree. As a simpler alternative, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) uses four categories to ask about the level of schooling completed by each parent: middle school/junior high; high school; college or beyond; and other or unknown. These data can be used to determine whether a student is a first-generation college student while also allowing for further disaggregation if needed. Source frameworks This disaggregate appeared in six source frameworks reviewed for this report, such as the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative and the California Cradle-to-Career Data System. References 1Ludeke, S. G., Junge, S. Y., John, O. P., Gensowski, M., Kirkpatrick, R. M., & Anderson S. C. (2020). Does parental education influence child education outcomes? A developmental analysis in a full-population sample and adoptee design. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 120(4), 1074–1090. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000314 2Spera, C., Wentzel, K. R., & Matto, H. C. (2009). Parental aspirations for their children’s educational attainment: relations to ethnicity, parental education, children’s academic performance, and parental perceptions of school climate. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(8), 1140–1152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9314-7 3Dubow, E. F., Boxer, P., & Huesmann, L. R. (2009). Long-term effects of parents’ education on children’s educational and occupational success: Mediation by family interactions, child aggression, and teenage aspirations. Merrill Palmer Q (Wayne State University Press), 55(3), 224-249. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpg.0.0030 4Fry, R. (2021). First-generation college graduates lag behind their peers on key economic outcomes. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/05/18/first-generation-college-graduates-lag-behind-their-peers-on-key-economic-outcomes/ 5Federal Reserve. (2020). Changes in U.S. family finances from 2016 to 2019: Evidence from the survey of consumer finances. Federal Reserve Bulletin, 105(5). https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/scf20.pdf