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College Achievement and Attainment Gaps: Evidence from West Point Cadets

Author

Listed:
  • Dario Cestau
  • Dennis Epple
  • Richard Romano
  • Holger Sieg
  • Carl Wojtaszek
Abstract
Assessing the effectiveness of education by race and gender is as difficult as it is important. We investigate this question utilizing data for eleven cohorts at West Point, a distinguished military academy and highly ranked liberal arts college. Employing matching using entry scores on three comprehensive measures, we obtain exceptional matches of score distributions for black and matched white students. We find black students have lower graduating achievement scores than matched white students, but comparable rates of graduation, retention in the Army after graduation, and early promotion. Hispanic-white comparisons reveal no differences. Female-male comparisons reveal women have lower attainment and retention rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Dario Cestau & Dennis Epple & Richard Romano & Holger Sieg & Carl Wojtaszek, 2020. "College Achievement and Attainment Gaps: Evidence from West Point Cadets," NBER Working Papers 27162, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27162
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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