The NELS Curve: Replicating The Bell Curve Analyses with the National Education Longitudinal Study
本研究用1988年全国教育纵向数据复制了《钟形曲线》的分析，发现家庭背景在预测高中辍学、大学入学、被捕和非婚生育等结果时，其重要性并不像原书所说的那样低于考试成绩。
This study uses the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS) to replicate both the analysis in The Bell Curve and that of several of its previous replications. We examine the relative importance of test scores and family background in predicting dropping out of high school, starting college, arrests, and out‐of‐wedlock fertility. Our results relax several arbitrary assumptions made in The Bell Curve . We strongly reject The Bell Curve's conclusion that family background is almost always less important than test scores in predicting outcomes. In addition, our analysis casts doubt on some of The Bell Curve's claims concerning reverse discrimination in education.