While research has consistently demonstrated a positive relationship between migration from rural areas and educational attainment, it is unclear whether migration is the driver of educational attainment or merely a mediator. The “rural brain drain” perspective suggests that young people leave rural areas if they have greater academic potential than their peers. A “migration gain” perspective implies that people, regardless of prior achievements, may move to invest in human capital, thereby gaining more education than those who do not move. This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 97 to test these competing predictions with multilevel/mixed-effects models. Consistent with previous research, the study found that youth attained the least education if they stayed in non-metro areas. By contrast, they gained more education if they moved not just from but also to non-metro areas, consistent with the “migration gain” hypothesis. Academic performance alone did not explain the association between education and migration, contradicting the “rural brain drain” theory. However, academic performance and college enrollment, which are also influenced by available educational opportunities, together explain the association between migration and education significantly, suggesting that the educational outcomes of migrants are influenced by a combination of individual and institutional characteristics.

中文翻译：

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都市圈与非都市圈青年的迁移行为与受教育程度☆

虽然研究一直表明从农村地区迁移与教育程度之间存在正相关关系，但尚不清楚迁移是教育程度的驱动因素还是仅仅是中介。“农村人才流失”的观点表明，如果年轻人的学术潜力比同龄人大，他们就会离开农村地区。“迁移收益”的观点意味着人们，无论之前的成就如何，都可能会迁移以投资人力资本，从而比那些没有迁移的人获得更多的教育。本文使用 97 年全国青年纵向研究的数据，通过多级/混合效应模型检验这些相互竞争的预测。与之前的研究一致，该研究发现，如果年轻人留在非都市区，他们获得的教育最少。相比之下，如果他们不仅从非都市区搬迁，而且还搬到非都市区，他们将获得更多教育，这与“迁移收益”假说一致。学习成绩本身并不能解释教育与移民之间的关联，这与“农村人才流失”理论相矛盾。然而，同样受可用教育机会影响的学业成绩和大学入学率共同显着解释了移民与教育之间的关联，表明移民的教育成果受个人和机构特征的共同影响。