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The Effects of Spanish-Language Background on Completed Schooling and Aptitude Test Scores

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Author Info
Luis Locay () (Department of Economics, University of Miami)
Tracy L. Regan () (Department of Economics, University of Miami)
Arthur M. Diamond, Jr. () (Department of Economics, University of Nebraska at Omaha)

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Abstract

We investigate the e ect of speaking Spanish at home as a child on completed schooling and aptitude test scores using data on Hispanics who grew up in the U.S. from the NLSY79. We model the accumulation of traditional human capital and English uency, leading to the joint determination of schooling and test scores. We nd that speaking Spanish at home reduces test scores but has no signi cant e ect on completed schooling. The reduction in test scores is more dramatic the higher the education of the parents and when the choice of home language is endogenous.

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File URL: http://moya.bus.miami.edu/~tregan/SpanishLanguage.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Miami, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 0710.

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Length: 40 pages
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Handle: RePEc:mia:wpaper:0710

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Related research
Keywords: Hispanics; language; aptitude; ability; NLSY79;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination

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  1. Stephen V. Cameron & James J. Heckman, 2001. "The Dynamics of Educational Attainment for Black, Hispanic, and White Males," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 109(3), pages 455-499, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Hansen, Karsten T. & Heckman, James J. & Mullen, Kathleen J., 2003. "The Effect of Schooling and Ability on Achievement Test Scores," IZA Discussion Papers 826, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. A. Gonzalez, 2000. "The acquisition and labor market value of four English skills: new evidence from NALS," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 18(3), pages 259-269, 07. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. McManus, Walter S, 1985. "Labor Market Costs of Language Disparity: An Interpretation of Hispanic Earnings Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 818-27, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Chiswick, Barry R, 1991. "Speaking, Reading, and Earnings among Low-Skilled Immigrants," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(2), pages 149-70, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Hoyt Bleakley & Aimee Chin, 2004. "Language Skills and Earnings: Evidence from Childhood Immigrants," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(2), pages 481-496, 05. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. McManus, Walter & Gould, William & Welch, Finis, 1983. "Earnings of Hispanic Men: The Role of English Language Proficiency," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(2), pages 101-30, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Chiswick, Barry R. & Lee, Yew Liang & Miller, Paul W., 2004. "Parents and Children Talk: The Family Dynamics of English Language Proficiency," IZA Discussion Papers 1216, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  9. Heather Antecol & Kelly Bedard, 2002. "The Relative earnings of young Mexican, black, and white women," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 56(1), pages 122-135, October.
    Other versions:
  10. Kossoudji, Sherrie A, 1988. "English Language Ability and the Labor Market Opportunities of Hispanic and East Asian Immigrant Men," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(2), pages 205-28, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Reimers, Cordelia W, 1983. "Labor Market Discrimination against Hispanic and Black Men," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 65(4), pages 570-79, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Heather Antecol & Kelly Bedard, 2004. "The Racial Wage Gap: The Importance of Labor Force Attachment Differences across Black, Mexican, and White Men," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(2). [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Heather Antecol & Kelly Bedard, 2001. "The Racial Wage Gap: The Importance of Labor Force Attachment Differences Across Black, Mexican and White Men," Claremont Colleges Working Papers 2001-35, Claremont Colleges. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Yoram Ben-Porath, 1967. "The Production of Human Capital and the Life Cycle of Earnings," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75, pages 352. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Heather Antecol & Kelly Bedard, 2002. "The Racial Wage Gap: The Importance of Labor Force Attachment Differences," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 7-02, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
  19. Hoyt Bleakley & Aimee Chin, 2008. "What Holds Back the Second Generation?: The Intergenerational Transmission of Language Human Capital Among Immigrants," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 43(2), pages 267-298. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Gonzalez, Arturo, 2003. "The education and wages of immigrant children: the impact of age at arrival," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 203-212, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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