This study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High school Class of 1972 and High School and Beyond to examine the process of educational attainment among whites and blacks and the extent which the process varies by the presence or absence of father in the household. Structural models were used to estimate the total effect of personal characteristic variables such as ability, curriculum, and grades on educational attainment and to compare the advantage of father's presence in the household as it contributes to educational attainment. The present study finds the process of educational is similar among white and black high seniors in the 1970s and the 1980s, regardless of father's presence in the household. Living in a household without a father is more disadvantageous for whites than for blacks. The effects of the personal characteristic variables of whites and blacks as they influence educational attainment are also similar for both groups. / Ph. D.