This Chapter:

Education.  CPS fathers were somewhat better educated than DoD fathers (Table 7.2).  The CPS fathers were more likely to have graduated from college (28 percent for CPS and 24 percent for DoD) than DoD fathers, while DoD fathers were more likely to have had less than four years of college (28 percent for DoD and 25 percent for CPS).  The percentage of fathers who have attended college, whether or not they graduated, was nearly the same for DoD (52 percent) and CPS (53 percent) fathers.  The overall pattern was similar for mothers but the differences were smaller, at 2 percent or less.

 For both DoD and CPS parents, fathers were somewhat more educated than mothers.  This difference is reflected in the greater percentage of college graduates among fathers (24 percent for DoD and 28 percent for CPS) than among mothers (20 percent for DoD and 21 percent for CPS).  Mothers, on the other hand, were more likely than fathers to be a high school graduate or to have some college.  Mothers and fathers in both the DoD and the CPS groups were equally likely to have less than a high school diploma.

Table 7.2.  Education of Parents of FY 1997 NPS Recruits, by Gender and Service, with Civilian Comparison Group (Percent at Each Education Level)
	Active Component				DoD Subtotal		Total
Highest Level of Education	Army	Navy	Marine Corps	Air Force	Active Duty	Guard/ Reserve	DoD	CPS
FATHERS
Less than High School Graduate	18.3	15.0	19.5	13.1	16.8	16.3	16.7	15.5
High School Graduate	31.8	31.7	30.9	31.9	31.6	30.6	31.4	31.9
Some College (No 4-Yr. Degree)	27.0	30.2	27.5	30.3	28.5	27.6	28.3	24.5
College Graduate*	22.9	23.1	22.1	24.6	23.1	25.5	23.7	28.1
MOTHERS
Less than High School Graduate	17.5	16.4	19.8	11.9	16.7	16.7	16.7	15.2
High School Graduate	34.4	33.5	34.3	36.2	34.5	34.2	34.4	36.4
Some College (No 4-Yr. Degree)	29.6	29.3	27.6	32.2	29.6	27.5	29.1	27.2
College Graduate*	18.5	20.8	18.3	19.7	19.3	21.6	19.8	21.3
Columns may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. * College graduate includes "greater than college graduate" level. Source:  Civilian data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey File, October 1996 - September 1997.

 Differences in parent education among the active duty Military Services were greater in some respects than the differences between DoD and CPS parents.  Parents of Air Force accessions had the most advanced educational credentials.  Both Air Force fathers and mothers were more likely to have at least a high school diploma (87 percent for fathers and 88 percent for mothers) than the overall active duty average (83 percent for both fathers and mothers).  They were also more likely to have attended or graduated college (55 percent for fathers and 52 percent for mothers) than the active duty average (52 percent for fathers and 49 percent for mothers).  On the other hand, parents of Marine Corps accessions were less likely to have attended or graduated from college (50 percent for fathers and 46 percent for mothers) than the active duty average, although the difference for fathers was small.  There were no differences of note in parent education between parents of active duty and Reserve Component accessions.

 The socioeconomic status of children and adolescents is closely related to mothers' education, fathers' education, average family income, and fathers' occupational status.  Analysis of data collected for the Profile of American Youth study showed that mothers' education approximated the effects of all four variables.(23)   Thus, the measure of recruit mothers' education becomes important as an indicator of high-quality recruits.  Approximately 20 percent of recruit mothers earned a college degree or better; an additional 29 percent accrued some college credits.

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23. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Logistics), Profile of American Youth: 1980 Nationwide Administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (Washington, DC:  March 1982), pp. 40-42.