This paper extends contemporary research on educational attainment by examining how structural background and familial resources, such as parental involvement and parental expectations, are translated into differential participation in post-secondary education by first-and second-generation youth from different racial and ethnic groups. Longitudinal, nationally representative data from the 1988-1994 panels of the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) reveal that the overwhelming majority of immigrant parents expect their children to go to college or beyond. Multinomial logistic regression analysis confirms that immigrant and second-generation youth are more likely than their third or higher generation peers to complete secondary school and go on to post-secondary education despite controls for structural and family background variables. Generation status differences are mediated by educational expectations for group specific models, particularly among Asian origin youth, suggesting support for a conditional model of adaptation among immigrant youth. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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