College Access Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Given a growing asset-based approach to equipping English Learners (ELs) with the knowledge and skills to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, this brief examines ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary education outcomes in... more

Given a growing asset-based approach to equipping English Learners (ELs) with the knowledge and skills to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, this brief examines ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary education outcomes in California. It includes a brief summary of relevant literature on college readiness among EL students. Researchers then present data retrieved from the California Department of Education on college readiness and postsecondary education. The results show that EL students lack access to college preparatory courses, have a low rate of meeting the state’s College/Career Indicator, and enroll in postsecondary education at lower rates than other groups. This policy brief concludes with recommendations for state-, district-, and school-level improvements for ELs’ college readiness and postsecondary enrollment.

Matching Students to Opportunity expands on the discussion of a critical issue in college access and success: the match between prospective students and the colleges in which they enroll. Research indicates that ensuring a good match... more

Matching Students to Opportunity expands on the discussion of a critical issue in college access and success: the match between prospective students and the colleges in which they enroll. Research indicates that ensuring a good match significantly increases a student's chance of graduating. The contributors to this volume argue that the discussion of college match must be broadened to include students at all levels of achievement—not just the most academically qualified—and must take into consideration dimensions other than academic selectivity, such as geography and price. Drawing on original empirical research, they examine the preferences that shape students' choices and assess their importance in ensuring students' success. They look at institutional practices that contribute to the problem of undermatching, and ask how local, state, and federal policy can help change both the demand and supply sides of the college match equation. Written with policy makers, researchers, and higher education professionals in mind, Matching Students to Opportunity advances the current conversation on college access, match, and completion, and offers a valuable addition to public policy discussions on this timely and urgent topic.

Special Admission contradicts the national belief that college sports provide upward mobility opportunities. Kirsten Hextrum documents how white middle-class youth become overrepresented on college teams. Her institutional ethnography of... more

Special Admission contradicts the national belief that college sports provide upward mobility opportunities. Kirsten Hextrum documents how white middle-class youth become overrepresented on college teams. Her institutional ethnography of one elite athletic and academic institution includes over 100 hours of interviews with college rowers and track & field athletes. She charts the historic and contemporary relationships between colleges, athletics, and white middle-class communities that ensure white suburban youth are advantaged in special athletic admissions. Suburban youth start ahead in college admissions because athletic merit—the competencies desired by university recruiters—requires access to vast familial, communal, and economic resources, all of which are concentrated in their neighborhoods. Their advantages increase as youth, parents, and coaches strategically invest in and engineer novel opportunities to maintain their race and class status. Thus, college sports allow white, middle-class athletes to accelerate their racial and economic advantages through admission to elite universities.

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic... more

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic preparation, build students’ college aspirations, increase students’ and their families’ college knowledge, and provide students and their families with college planning and financial aid information conducive to successful enrollment in postsecondary institutions. We highlight the critical components of a comprehensive multi-system college readiness partnership program, offer some parent involvement and outreach strategies for collaborating with African-American and Latino families, describe how to locate and leverage resources through community asset mapping, and describe a partnership process model for building school-family-community partnerships focused on college readiness.

... 2005; Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000, 2001; McDonough, 2005b; Perna, 2000; Perna et al., 2008). Although there has been much written about the influence of school counselors on the college choice process, there is limited empirical... more

... 2005; Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000, 2001; McDonough, 2005b; Perna, 2000; Perna et al., 2008). Although there has been much written about the influence of school counselors on the college choice process, there is limited empirical evidence with large samples Julia Bryan, ...

(Preprint of Article in press). This study tested the conceptual framework of school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC) using a national sample of 15,857 high school students from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009. We examined... more

(Preprint of Article in press). This study tested the conceptual framework of school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC) using a national sample of 15,857 high school students from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009. We examined the relationship of SCCGC (i.e., counselor expectations and priorities, student-counselor contact for college-career counseling prior to 12 th grade, college and career readiness activities, and constraints) to high school seniors' college decisions (i.e., studentcounselor contact for college admissions counseling in 12 th grade, student-counselor contact for financial aid counseling in 12 th grade, number of college applications, and enrollment in college). Multinomial and ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that counselors' expectations and priorities, student-counselor contact for college-career counseling prior to 12 th grade, college application and financial aid help, and college information and FAFSA meetings were positively related while caseload was negatively related to students' college decisions (after controlling for parent involvement, academic performance and aspirations, and student demographics).

Despite the importance of school counselors in the college going process, school counselors are often inundated by numerous non-counseling responsibilities and overwhelmed due to high student-counselor ratios (McDonough, 2005a, 2005b).... more

Despite the importance of school counselors in the college going process, school counselors are often inundated by numerous non-counseling responsibilities and overwhelmed due to high student-counselor ratios (McDonough, 2005a, 2005b). Hence, the onus is on policy-makers, school leaders, and school counselors to embraces practice models that will enable schools and school counselors to promote college readiness and access for all students, especially students who face significant barriers in the college going process. Therefore, we offer strategies that school counselors can use to enhance college readiness and college access. These strategies take a school-family-community partnership approach in addressing the academic, economic, psychological, and structural barriers that these students may face. We first describe two models that provide insight into the comprehensive, cohesive, and widespread strategies the school counselors can use to work with all stakeholders with the aim of getting students college and career ready. We follow with strategies that school counselors can specifically use to engage parents in college readiness activities. We end with a personal story from a professional school counselor (the fourth author) who was a designated college counselor in a high school. She shares the strategies she used to encourage and increase college access for underrepresented college students in her school.

The goal of this study is to understand how students experiencing homelessness experience community college. In particular, the authors focus on the multifaceted traumas that negatively impact their educational engagement and persistence.... more

The goal of this study is to understand how students experiencing homelessness experience community college. In particular, the authors focus on the multifaceted traumas that negatively impact their educational engagement and persistence. The authors conducted a life history with one student experiencing homelessness on a community college campus. Based upon the emerging themes, interviews lasting approximately 60 minutes were conducted with an additional six students experiencing homelessness at the same college. Homelessness creates significant barriers for students. Residential insecurity often forces students to prioritize meeting
basic needs over educational engagement. The participants consistently lived on the brink of residential crisis, which took an emotional toll. However, the stories emerging from this study demonstrate how important the participants felt postsecondary education was. They clearly connected their long-term stability to completing community college and transferring to a four-year institution. Unfortunately, their residential situations negatively impacted their ability to persist. Based upon the student experiences, the authors recommend more integrated services on community college campuses. The student narratives illustrate several important themes that have the potential to inform both research and practice. The participants viewed postsecondary education as a pathway to future stability. However, they experienced multifaceted and enduring trauma. The chaos of their residential insecurity resulted in constantly living at the brink of crisis. These students illustrate the need for integrated services at community colleges to support students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Over the last few years, increasing scholarly and media attention has been paid to the plight of undocumented immigrant college students. However, only a small fraction of undocumented youth actually moves on from high school to... more

Over the last few years, increasing scholarly and media attention has been paid to the plight of undocumented immigrant college students. However, only a small fraction of undocumented youth actually moves on from high school to postsecondary opportunities. Indeed, the exclusion from financial aid eligibility and low family socioeconomic status severely limit undocumented students' ability to matriculate to institutions of higher learning. But little is known about the ways in which school experiences shape postsecondary outcomes. This article focuses on the high school experiences of a sample of undocumented young adults and examines the ways in which school structures shape access to resources needed for postsecondary matriculation. In doing so, I argue that school-based networks are critical for success. However, these networks are fundamentally shaped by the school structure. This article draws from 78 in-depth life histories of undocumented Latino young adults in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. I incorporate a sample, stratified by educational experiences. The lived experiences of these young adults shed important light on the broader world in which they live and the ways in which immigration policies interact with school practices to shape success and failure.

This article highlights the voices of two 11th grade boys of color (one Black and one Latino), attending one U.S. urban charter school, as they describe the various ways their families supported their college going efforts. This study... more

This article highlights the voices of two 11th grade boys of color (one Black and one Latino), attending one U.S. urban charter school, as they describe the various ways their families supported their college going efforts. This study finds that these participants were equipped with what the author conceptualizes as college going familial capital, which describes the rich knowledge, information, inspiration and resources students of color gain from their families (nuclear, extended, and fictive kin), transferred through lessons, values, practices, and beliefs, that serve as rationale, motivation, and support for securing postsecondary educational attainment. College going familial capital was encompassed in the ways the families of participants valued college for economic betterment and emphasized its importance to participants from an early age. College going familial capital was gained when participants assessed the experiences of various family members when they considered the role of college in their own lives. Implications suggest that as educators support the collegiate aspirations of Black and Latino boys, they should consider and employ students' already existing college going familial capital.

Underemployment and underutilization of college and university graduates is an important economic and social issue for employees, employers, and policy makers. The previous vignette raises two questions: Is there a gap between education... more

Underemployment and underutilization of college and
university graduates is an important economic and social issue for employees, employers, and policy makers. The previous vignette raises two questions: Is there a gap between education and job matching? and Is there an oversupply of college graduates relative to available appropriate jobs? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by exploring the extent
of underemployment and underutilization of college and
university graduates in Canada and the United States.

As educational stakeholders endeavor to prepare more students for postsecond-ary success, the construct of college readiness has gained national attention. Scholarly perspectives vary regarding what constitutes readiness, but even less is... more

As educational stakeholders endeavor to prepare more students for postsecond-ary success, the construct of college readiness has gained national attention. Scholarly perspectives vary regarding what constitutes readiness, but even less is known about the perceptions of secondary educators tasked with preparing college-ready students. Drawing on interview data and sensemaking theory, we explore the perspectives of 108 teachers working in eight early college high schools in a border region of Texas. Findings suggest teachers rely primarily on their personal and professional experience to make sense of college readiness, resulting in wide variation with respect to how they approach it in their classrooms. The article closes with implications for policy and practice.

The college-for-all movement is variously framed as a civil rights issue, an economic imperative, and a requirement for navigating our increasingly globalized society. In response, large urban school districts across the United States... more

The college-for-all movement is variously framed as a civil rights issue, an economic imperative, and a requirement for navigating our increasingly globalized society. In response, large urban school districts across the United States have adopted and implemented new policies for graduation that require high school students to complete a college preparatory education. These policies are relatively new, and their impli- cations are just beginning to emerge. As a case of public scholarship, we describe the collective problem-solving process that unfolded over a decade, from 2007 to 2017, as researchers and practitioners in a new K-12 urban public school worked together to expand access to college for traditionally underrepresented students. We describe three practical problems—how to frame, support, and track a college-for-all reform effort—and detail how grappling with these problems locally provides unique insight into the larger college-for-all policy context. In particular, we explore the role of learning supports, status hierarchies, and resources in realizing the college-for-all ideal. We also articulate a fundamental framing tension between social justice as redistribution and recognition and suggest that the notion of parity of participation guide policy and action.

As educators and service providers in urban schools encourage student college going at higher rates than ever, policy and practice on school improvement discourses would benefit from incorporating students' perspectives underlying... more

As educators and service providers in urban schools encourage student college going at higher rates than ever, policy and practice on school improvement discourses would benefit from incorporating students' perspectives underlying family-based, college-going dilemmas that frame their college preparation. This qualitative article features the voiced experiences of 11th-grade adolescent boys, one Black and one Latino, from one school, as they grapple with both internal dilemmas (e.g., fear of changing and being distanced from their family) and external dilemmas (e.g., their expected familial commitments) inherent in their college access, success, and graduation. Using a conceptual framework that considers the social, cognitive, and institutional factors influencing their college preparation, this article focuses on social factors and advocates for institutional practices that better meet student needs.

Using social capital theory as a framework, the authors examined data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002) to examine how student contact with high school counselors about college information and other college-related... more

Using social capital theory as a framework, the authors examined data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002) to examine how student contact with high school counselors about college information and other college-related variables influence students’ college application rates. In addition to some college related variables, the number of school counselors, and student contact were significant predictors of college application rates. Implications for school counselors and counselor training are included.

In this article, my co-authors and I point to the dehumanizing nature of typical college-going processes embedded within many K–12 environments, which foster an oppressive college-going culture. We document counter-narratives of community... more

In this article, my co-authors and I point to the dehumanizing nature of typical college-going processes embedded within many K–12 environments, which foster an oppressive college-going culture. We document counter-narratives of community agency and resistance to exclusionary schooling practices and their subsequent impact on the college-going processes of black students and other students of color. We present an alternative model, rooted in community and student resistance, that is a humanizing pathway nurtured by a liberatory college-going culture, where community cultural wealth is a catalyst for cultural integrity and transformative resistance and ultimately allows students of color to enter college as a challenge to social reproduction.

This article investigates the experience of 229 low-income students of color who participated in an innovative high school internship program between 2011 and 2015. Using mixed methods (interviews, observations, and survey), the authors... more

This article investigates the experience of 229 low-income students of color who participated in an innovative high school internship program between 2011 and 2015. Using mixed methods (interviews, observations, and survey), the authors aim to understand the types of knowledge, information, and supports these students develop and expand in relation to careers and the college-going process. The authors draw on students’ community cultural wealth to highlight the way the internship program supports students’ aspirational, navigational, linguistic, resistant, and social capital.

A paper analyzing the Iskolar ng Bayan Law as an educational policy in the Philipines.

This cross-sectional descriptive study captured the perspectives of 14 college-bound students with ASD at the critical period of transition from high school using an open-ended prompt. The aim was to capture (1) student definitions of... more

This cross-sectional descriptive study captured the perspectives of 14 college-bound students with ASD at the critical period of transition from high school using an open-ended prompt. The aim was to capture (1) student definitions of success as a college student, (2) the factors they identify as most influential leading to becoming a college student, and (3) the factors they identify as obstacles to becoming a college student. Findings suggest that college-bound young adults with ASD define success in terms of both academic and non-academic factors; identify factors leading to their success that suggest a need to collaborate with and support parents, and to utilize evidence-based practice to support student self-determination; and, request supports in relation to overcoming mental health issues (anxiety, fear, stress), and navigating college life with a disability. The study reports initial results of a larger mixed methods investigation to document and understand the transition and progress of college students with ASD, with the purpose of providing increasingly effective supports and services.

The extant literature documents the importance of school counselors’ roles in school–family–community partnerships, yet no model exists to guide school counselors through the process of building partnerships. The authors propose a model... more

The extant literature documents the importance of school counselors’ roles in school–family–community partnerships, yet no model exists to guide school counselors through the process of building partnerships. The authors propose a model to help school counselors navigate the process and principles of partnerships. They define partnerships; discuss the principles of democratic collaboration, empowerment, social justice, and strengths focus that should infuse partnerships; enumerate a partnership process model; and discuss implications for practice and research.

Background/Context: School-sponsored sports programs are seen in both the public and policy spheres as meritocratic mobility institutions. In the U.S. context, athletic participation can yield access to college via sports performance.... more

Background/Context: School-sponsored sports programs are seen in both the public and policy spheres as meritocratic mobility institutions. In the U.S. context, athletic participation can yield access to college via sports performance. Meritocratic mobility would be achieved as individuals use their athletic ability and effort to enter universities and in turn improve their social standing. Yet few existing studies empirically examine the extent to which interscholastic athletic participation yields mobility. As a result, little is known about how individuals access colleges via athletics. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This study's purpose was to understand how individuals began a path to college via sports. In doing so, it asks: what larger social forces influence how youth become top-level college athletes? It draws upon social reproduction theory-how publicly funded educational entities ensure the maintenance rather than the reduction of class inequality-to determine whether youth sports participation facilitates mobility. Research Design: This qualitative study examined the athletic and academic trajectories of 47 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I student-athletes from one university classified as Research-1, Tier-1, and as a member of a power-five athletic conference. Data include semistructured life history interviews, an original database, and institutional reports. Population: Participants were recruited from four teams to investigate the athletic selection process: men's and women's track & field and rowing. The teams offered multiple comparisons in macro-and micro-social processes. Rowing draws from White and elite communities, because it requires tremendous resources to participate. Conversely, track & field requires fewer resources and draws more participants from marginalized communities. Findings: Research reveals a sports-track-to-college pipeline and a correspondence between White middle-class communities and greater access to elite universities via athletics. Access to the sports-track-to-college pipeline is co-constructed through interactions at the individual, familial, and institutional levels. Five reproductive mechanisms are discussed-community access, bureaucracies, social access, knowledge, and enacted knowledge-all of which emerged as greater determiners for college athletic recruiting than individual athletic merit. Conclusions: Recommendations offer policy and programmatic changes at the high school, college, and NCAA levels that make athletic recruiting more transparent and systematic to lessen the reproductive effects.

ABSTRACT The world over the decades has made considerable advancement in automation; automation is employed in every sector whether it is home or industry. The need for an automatic school/college bell is now a necessity which has been... more

ABSTRACT
The world over the decades has made considerable advancement in automation; automation is employed in every sector whether it is home or industry. The need for an automatic school/college bell is now a necessity which has been evolved with the revolution in technology and boost in the education system where time is a major factor affecting the educational system where the time has to be accurate. Here a new and inexpensive design is being presented. This design finds a tremendous use at primary and secondary school levels as well as in colleges where the teaching sections can span over several periods including breaks. The advantage of this design is that the bell rings at the start of each period without any human intervention to a great degree of accuracy and hence takes over the manual task of switching on/off the college bell or ring a bell manually with respect to time. The proposed college time keeper uses a Real Time Clock (DS1307) which tracks the real time, the school time table programmed to the system via a keypad and phone numbers of subject teachers registered to the system memory using EEPROM. The system has the GSM technology backbone used for SMS notification to subject teachers prior to the time scheduled for the class, this takes away the excuse of forgetting. With a battery power backup, the system can rule when power supply cuts.

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic... more

This chapter describes comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies that school and college counselors in K–12 schools and community settings can use to establish school-familycommunity partnerships that enhance students’ academic preparation, build students’ college aspirations, increase students’ and their families’ college knowledge, and provide students and their families with college planning and financial aid information conducive to successful enrollment in postsecondary institutions. We highlight the critical components of a comprehensive multi-system college readiness partnership program, offer some parent involvement and outreach strategies for collaborating with African-American and Latino families, describe how to locate and leverage resources through community asset mapping, and describe a partnership process model for building school-family-community partnerships focused on college readiness.

What is the impact of social class on college integration? Higher education institutions are becoming more diverse, yet the integration of underprivileged students remains a chal- lenge. Using a social network approach, we analyze the... more

What is the impact of social class on college integration? Higher education institutions are becoming more diverse, yet the integration of underprivileged students remains a chal- lenge. Using a social network approach, we analyze the general integration of low socio- economic status (SES) students, as well as how segregated by class these friends are. The object of analysis is the extreme case of an elite university that, based on a government loan program (Ser Pilo Paga), opened its doors to many low-SES students in a very unequal country, Colombia. Using a mixed methods perspective, including a survey, 61 in depth interviews, and ethnographic observation, we analyze friendship networks and their mean- ings, barriers, and facilitators. Contrary to the literature, we find that low-SES students had, on average, the same number of connections and were no more isolated than students from upper social classes. Also, low-SES students’ networks were not more segregated, even if relations with the upper classes were less likely and required more relational work than with middle or lower class friends. This high level of social integration stemmed from the intense relational work that low-SES students engage in, so as to fit in. Middle class friends act as a catalyst that can enable cross-class friendships.

The importance of information is seldom centered in modern college access, college disparities, and college-going discussions. This article situates information and how it shapes college pursuits and intensifies inequities, particularly... more

The importance of information is seldom centered in modern college access, college disparities, and college-going discussions. This article situates information and how it shapes college pursuits and intensifies inequities, particularly for minoritized groups. Specifically, the author unpacks two components from the Iloh Model of College-Going Decisions and Trajectories, information and information deserts, and explores their role and complexities. In doing so, the author attends to how information asymmetries, whether intentional or not, contribute to stratification and predatory college-going ecologies in the postsecondary education marketplace.

This qualitative study seeks to understand Latinas’ college-going behaviors by examining their agency and role in securing opportunity for college. The authors examine the activation of agency among 16 urban Latinas when navigating the... more

This qualitative study seeks to understand Latinas’ college-going behaviors by examining their agency and
role in securing opportunity for college. The authors examine the activation of agency among 16 urban
Latinas when navigating the structures influencing college opportunity through a cultural ecological model.
Examples of agency are represented as Latinas resist educational inequities and navigate their educational,
familial, communal, and out-of-class environments. In some cases, individuals and systems within these
environments serve as agents of resistance; in other environments, they serve as agents of support for
Latinas. We specifically were interested in understanding how Latinas activate agency and make sense of
how their college-going behaviors influenced college opportunity and transition.

This descriptive case study examined the development of a college outreach summer camp at a university in Texas. The camp aims to diminish the college knowledge and access divide that exists between first generation college-going,... more

This descriptive case study examined the development of a college outreach summer camp at a university in Texas. The camp aims to diminish the college knowledge and access divide that exists between first generation college-going, lower-income, and underrepresented students and their counterparts in the region in which the university is located. Drawing on one year of survey data, interviews with program personnel, program documents, and newspaper articles about the camp, this study highlights some of the camp’s early successes, as well as growing pains of starting such an effort to serve community needs.

This qualitative study of first-generation, low-income urban Latino male college students considers their transition experience and success in various higher education institutions. Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality is... more

This qualitative study of first-generation, low-income urban Latino male college students considers their transition experience and success in various higher education institutions. Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality is used as a lens to explore how these students navigate the college environment and build relationships with campus agents. The findings focus on the students’ motivations to attend college, the importance of the college environment, the impact of mentorship, and feelings of mattering as a result of relationships with campus peers and professional staff. The authors offer implications and program recommendations for student affairs professionals to better support and understand Latino male students at their institutions.

Most sociological research on racial discrimination has had an “inter-racial” focus. That is, researchers have been principally concerned with the disparate treatment that people of color receive relative to Whites in different social... more

Most sociological research on racial discrimination has had an “inter-racial” focus. That is, researchers have been principally concerned with the disparate treatment that people of color receive relative to Whites in different social contexts. However, recent theoretical work emerging from legal studies sug- gests that an alternative conception of “intra-racial” discrimination exists that extends beyond colorism. This theory of intra-racial discrimination stipulates that many organizations in the “post-racial” era desire some measure of racial diversity. Yet, in their efforts to achieve this racial diversity they screen people of color based on their degree of racial salience. Whether a given person of color is hired, promoted, or in the case of college admissions, accepted, is a function of whether or not Whites within the organization consider them racially palatable, or not overly concerned with race. This creates an incentive for people of color to work their identity to allay any concerns among Whites that they may be too racially salient. In this paper I critically review this work and attempt to further buttress its claims by highlighting how this process has clear historical precedent. I conclude by showing how the audit method can be used to empirically examine this practice contemporarily.

This study tested the conceptual framework of school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC) using a national sample of 15,857 high school students from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009. We examined the relationship of SCCGC... more

This study tested the conceptual framework of school counseling college-going culture (SCCGC) using a national sample of 15,857 high school students from the High School Longitudinal Study 2009. We examined the relationship of SCCGC (i.e., counselor expectations and priorities, student-counselor contact for collegecareer counseling prior to 12th grade, college and career readiness activities, and constraints) to high school seniors' college decisions (i.e., student-counselor contact for college admissions counseling in 12th grade, student-counselor contact for financial aid counseling in 12th grade, number of college applications, and enrollment in college). Multinomial and ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that counselors' expectations and priorities, student-counselor contact for college-career counseling prior to 12th grade, college application and financial aid help, and college information and Free Application for Federal Student Aid meetings were positively related while caseload was negatively related to students' college decisions (after controlling for parent involvement, academic performance and aspirations, and student demographics).

The decisions to go to college and where are life-altering. Accordingly, college choice theory has been a necessary framework for understanding access and destinations in postsecondary education. The author argues for the need to depart... more

The decisions to go to college and where are life-altering. Accordingly, college choice theory has been a necessary framework for understanding access and destinations in postsecondary education. The author argues for the need to depart from framing college-going around “choice” and puts forth a timely and context-driven alternative to previous college choice frameworks. In particular, the Iloh Model of College-Going Decisions and
Trajectories illuminates the bidirectional relationship among three dimensions (information, time, and opportunity). The paper . concludes with new directions for researchers, community members, leaders, and practitioners across the P–20 education pipeline.

Formal and informal partnerships between rural schools and their communities can provide a wide range of supports for all students, but particularly those from low-income families. In this analysis of six small rural school districts in... more

Formal and informal partnerships between rural schools and their communities can provide a wide range of supports for all students, but particularly those from low-income families. In this analysis of six small rural school districts in Virginia we show how the broad participation of community groups and individuals supports academic achievement as well as preparation and aspirations for postsecondary education. Results demonstrate that school-community partnerships provide multiple points of contact for students that buttress the efforts of school personnel by extended educational opportunities outside the classroom and by meeting the needs of low-income students when parents and teachers are unable to do so.

The author argues that first-generation college students (FGS) have compounded challenges when they pursue graduate education. As a first-generation college student, he was not able to gather advice from family or his job supervisor, who... more

The author argues that first-generation college students (FGS) have compounded challenges when they pursue graduate education. As a first-generation college student, he was not able to gather advice from family or his job supervisor, who had no experience with graduate school. Drawing from his experience and the existing FGS-related research, the author details practical advice for making a successful transition from college to graduate school. He concludes with a list of essential questions that prospective graduate students should ask themselves and their mentors when considering graduate study.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are racially diverse institutions. As such, this qualitative study examines the interconnected aspects of the college choice processes and campus experiences of White students attending... more

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are racially diverse institutions. As such, this qualitative study examines the interconnected aspects of the college choice processes and campus experiences of White students attending a public HBCU. Utilizing (Renn and Arnold, The Journal of Higher Education, 2003, 74, 261) Ecological Model on College Student Peer Culture, findings highlight how participants' perceptions of HBCUs were influenced by racially informed societal influences and how their academic and social experiences provided opportunities for them to critically engage race and racism. Furthermore, this work reveals how White HBCU students experience intra-racial social anxiety that limited their desire to interact with their White peers on campus.

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are increasingly seeking postsecondary education (PSE) opportunities. High school to college transition presents its challenges for all students, and school counselors are uniquely positioned... more

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are increasingly seeking postsecondary education (PSE) opportunities. High school to college transition presents its challenges for all students, and school counselors are uniquely positioned to assist students with ID throughout the PSE process. This article provides a review of the literature on PSE and specifically explores the different types of PSE programming available and strategies high school counselors can employ to effectively assist students with ID in PSE planning.

Popular conceptions of college and career readiness are broadening beyond strictly academic competencies like literacy and numeracy. New thinking on the many dimensions of preparedness has produced volumes of research and scores of new... more

Popular conceptions of college and career readiness are broadening beyond strictly academic competencies like literacy and numeracy. New thinking on the many dimensions of preparedness has produced volumes of research and scores of new products. In fact, educators and employers may find it difficult to separate signal from noise and focus on the readiness paradigms that suit their needs. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the readiness landscape. We introduce three readiness paradigms—the college readiness index for middle school students, the Conley Readiness Index, and GRIT—and review their goals, theoretical foundations, and empirical support. This paper dedicates particular focus to strands of convergence and divergence between these three approaches. A few core tenets underpin each of the three readiness paradigms: (1) scholars, educational practitioners, and employers must develop an expanded definition of readiness and success, (2) useful readiness paradigms should empower the learner, and (3) rigorous measurement still matters. The paper concludes with a short set of recommendations focused on how new approaches to college and career readiness can be used to support smarter and earlier interventions and open college and career pathways to all learners.

Elite colleges have long been associated with socioeconomic reproduction, passing along elite social standing to children of middle and upper-middle socioeconomic status (SES) parents. How has that role changed during the expansion of... more

Elite colleges have long been associated with socioeconomic reproduction, passing along elite social standing to children of middle and upper-middle socioeconomic status (SES) parents. How has that role changed during the expansion of American higher education over the past 50 years? Have elite colleges and universities also become providers of socioeconomic mobility? In this essay, I outline recent demographic, admissions, and financial aid changes at these institutions and compare both in-college experiences and college outcomes between low-SES and more-affluent students at elite colleges. I argue that although elite colleges and universities do include greater numbers of low-SES students than in earlier generations and have great potential for even further inclusion, they remain far from serving as broad engines of socioeconomic mobility.

This study examines how an urban, California high school supports undocumented students' college access and the challenges the school and students encounter. Employing case study methodology, school observations and interviews with 14... more

This study examines how an urban, California high school supports undocumented students' college access and the challenges the school and students encounter. Employing case study methodology, school observations and interviews with 14 undocumented students and 13 educators were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the processes involved in undocumented students' pursuit of higher education. Findings highlight the importance of building targeted college knowledge, providing navigational support to complete college and financial aid applications, unmet financial need, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as a useful but limited tool for college access. Implications for practice and policy are provided.

Drawing from two data sets – one focused on students in high school actively engaged in the process of college choice, the other centering the perspectives of college graduates and their parents reflecting back on the process – this... more

Drawing from two data sets – one focused on students in high school actively engaged in the process of college choice, the other centering the perspectives of college graduates and their parents reflecting back on the process – this article critically examines the journeys of DiaspoRican students trying to gather information and make informed decisions about college choice. The authors focus on three ‘sites’ where students reported seeking and receiving information about the college going process – schools, parents, and community. The implications of this study suggest that understandings of college choice need to be complicated – or as we argue, RicanStructed – to center the experiences of specific groups of students of color, account for variation in the college choice processes within and across groups, and reflect more race and culture conscious approaches to increasing diversity in higher education.