The Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002 represents a major longitudinal effort designed to provide trend data about critical transitions experienced by students as they proceed through high school and into postsecondary education or their careers. The 2002 sophomore cohort will be followed, initially at 2-year intervals, to collect policy-relevant data about educational processes and outcomes, especially as such data pertain to student learning, predictors of dropping out, and high school effects on students' access to, and success in, postsecondary education and the work force. The Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002 is part of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)' National Education Longitudinal Studies program which also includes three completed studies: the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), the High School and Beyond (HS & B) longitudinal study of 1980, and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS88).
For more information, visit ELS at NCES.