Project Talent: Following U.S. Students Since 1960
Project Talent is a nationally representative longitudinal study of older adults who attended high school in the U.S. in 1960. When Project Talent began, it was the largest and most comprehensive study of high school students ever conducted in the U.S.
The study included a 5 percent random sample of all U.S. high school—including public, private, and parochial schools—from every state except Alaska. Students from all economic, cultural, and social backgrounds participated in the base year data collection, which included a battery of tests and questionnaires administered over two days.
Project Talent researchers followed the students across early adulthood, surveying participants at 1, 5, and 11 years following their anticipated high school graduation. These surveys gathered information on respondents’ educational attainment, occupations, family formation, military service, income, and health. The goal was to better understand what experiences and influences helped prepare students for careers and life after high school.
As participants transition into later life, Project Talent has evolved into a study of aging and health. With its unique size, demographic diversity, and comprehensive data from 1960 and beyond, Project Talent offers an unprecedented opportunity to understand factors that influence health across the life course.
Project Talent’s current research focuses on Health Disparities and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. Learn more about our new and ongoing studies.
