Alterable predictors of educational attainment, income, and crime: Findings from an inner-city cohort

Using data from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, an ongoing panel investigation of more than 1,500 children, this article identifies a comprehensive set of predictors of educational attainment, employment, income, and adult crime. Predictors are measured from participants' birth through high school by means of surveys and administrative records. These sources include data on individual, family, and school experiences, as well as on demographic attributes. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicate that multiple indicators are associated with outcomes from a single domain, but few indicators (parental involvement in the child's school, the child's academic achievement at age 14, and juvenile arrest) predict outcomes across all domains.