| Author/Presenter |
Daniel Parent (McGill University) |
| Co-author |
Mary Mackinnon (McGill University) |
| Title |
How Are the Descendants of the "Rabble" Doing? The Intergenerational Progress in the Educational Attainment of Franco-Americans vs. French-Speaking Quebeckers |
| Abstract |
Using U.S. and Canadian census data we exploit the massive out migration of approximately 1 million French-Canadians who moved mainly to New England between 1865 and 1930 to look at how the educational attainment and enrollment patterns of their descendants compare with those of same aged French-speaking Quebeckers. Data from the 1971 (1970) Canadian (U.S.) censuses reveal that New England born residents who had French as their mother tongue enjoyed a considerable advantage in terms of educational attainment. We attribute this large discrepancy to the exposure to the U.S. public school system which had no equivalent in Quebec until the late sixties. Turning to the 2001 (2000) Canadian (U.S.) censuses, we find signs that the gap has subsided for the younger aged individuals. In fact, contrary to 30 years earlier, young Quebeckers in 2001 had more years of schooling and were more likely to have some post-secondary education, although they still trail considerably when it comes to having at least a B.A. degree. We view this partial reversal as reflecting the impact of the "reverse treatment" by which Quebeckers made profound changes to their educational institutions, particularly in the post-secondary system, in the mid to late 60's. |
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