Schooling variables

Five variables were generated from the individual schooling data: age at which the child entered school; number of times the child passed, failed, and withdrew; and the highest grade that the child reached. The data are shown in Table 12. On average, children began school more than a year after the expected age (i.e., 7 years for first grade), and some did so as late as at age 15 years. Children who attended school attained, on average, a level somewhat lower than the fourth grade (3.7), and failure was not uncommon (see Table 12). A more complete description of the Guatemalan educational system and of the measures of school efficiency in these villages is provided elsewhere (Gorman & Pollitt, 1992).