Adolescent Employment and Postsecondary Education among Latino Children of Immigrants

This study examined the connection between adolescent employment and future participation in postsecondary education in a sample of U.S. Latino high school juniors/seniors (n = 2164) from the 1992–2002 Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study. Employed and non-employed Latino adolescents did not markedly differ in academic performance, ability, or expectations, suggesting that, for U.S. Latino adolescents, employment may depend on the degree of constraint imposed by social and economic statuses. Results of multilevel binomial logistic regression suggest plausible sources of educational disparities and reveal that high-intensity work during high school may be a source of educational disadvantage for Latino children.