African Americans and College Choice
African Americans and College Choice

Author: Kassie Freeman

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0791484505

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Acknowledging the disparity between the number of African American high school students who aspire toward higher education and the number who actually attend, this book uncovers factors that influence African American students' decisions regarding college. Kassie Freeman brings new insights to the current body of research on African Americans and higher education by examining the impact that family, school, community, and home have in the decision-making process. She explores specific factors that contribute to a student's predisposition toward higher education, including gender, economics, and high school curriculum, and seeks to bridge the gap in understanding why aspiration does not immediately translate into participation. Educators and policy makers interested in increasing African American students' participation in higher education will benefit from the exploration of this paradox.

Low-income, First-generation, African American and Latino Students' Perceptions of Influencing Factors on Their Successful Path to Enrollment in a Four-year College
Low-income, First-generation, African American and Latino Students' Perceptions of Influencing Factors on Their Successful Path to Enrollment in a Four-year College

Author: Gerard J. Rooney

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13:

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?Pub Inc This qualitative study utilized a grounded theory approach to understand first-generation students' perceptions of influences on their successful journey to a four-year college. Twenty low-income, first-generation, African American and Latino students, were interviewed in order to understand who or what influenced them in developing aspirations to college, and at the various stages of the college search and selection process. These students were the first members of their immediate family to attend college. Findings centered around five major influence areas: influences at home, influences at school, influences in the search and choice process, the continuing influence of cost of attendance, and the influence of courage as a necessary virtue for students who are the first members of their families to negotiate their path to college. The home environment provided students with expectation, support, and stability. Parents and/or grandparents were the primary influence for students in the development of an aspiration to attend college. Stability in their elementary and secondary schooling experiences was a contributing influence in their success. Their school environments provided guidance, structure, and recognition. The availability of guidance counselors was essential to the success of the students in making their way to college. Also, teacher recognition and an in-school focus on college preparation activities were key influences for students as they progressed toward college. Distance from home and cost of attendance were overarching considerations in a student's search for a particular college. The availability of a state grant led many students to consider only in-state colleges and universities. Many students considered going away to college as a natural part of the college experience. In the end, distance from home was a more important factor for Latina students and was generally more of an influence for female students than male students. Campus visits were limited to those colleges that provided visit opportunities, typically at no cost to the student. Selection of a particular college was almost universally determined by where students received the best financial aid package. Families seldom spoke of how they would pay for college until a decision had to be made about a particular school. Students expected to take a lead role in paying for college. Students felt ongoing confusion about how they would pay for college and expressed a lack of understanding about how much they and their parents were borrowing to attend college. Students ultimately were responsible for translating their parents' expectation into an aspiration to attend college. Their individual initiative and focus allowed them to progress through high school and prepare themselves for college. A sense of self-advocacy and personal motivation were important qualities that helped students get the necessary assistance they needed to achieve their destination: college.

The Source of the River
The Source of the River

Author: Douglas S. Massey

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-06-27

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 1400840767

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African Americans and Latinos earn lower grades and drop out of college more often than whites or Asians. Yet thirty years after deliberate minority recruitment efforts began, we still don't know why. In The Shape of the River, William Bowen and Derek Bok documented the benefits of affirmative action for minority students, their communities, and the nation at large. But they also found that too many failed to achieve academic success. In The Source of the River, Douglas Massey and his colleagues investigate the roots of minority underperformance in selective colleges and universities. They explain how such factors as neighborhood, family, peer group, and early schooling influence the academic performance of students from differing racial and ethnic origins and differing social classes. Drawing on a major new source of data--the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen--the authors undertake a comprehensive analysis of the diverse pathways by which whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asians enter American higher education. Theirs is the first study to document the different characteristics that students bring to campus and to trace out the influence of these differences on later academic performance. They show that black and Latino students do not enter college disadvantaged by a lack of self-esteem. In fact, overconfidence is more common than low self-confidence among some minority students. Despite this, minority students are adversely affected by racist stereotypes of intellectual inferiority. Although academic preparation is the strongest predictor of college performance, shortfalls in academic preparation are themselves largely a matter of socioeconomic disadvantage and racial segregation. Presenting important new findings, The Source of the River documents the ongoing power of race to shape the life chances of America's young people, even among the most talented and able.

High Achieving African American Students and the College Choice Process
High Achieving African American Students and the College Choice Process

Author: Thandeka K. Chapman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-02-25

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9780367352684

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By critically examining the legal, institutional, and social factors that prohibit or promote students' college choices, this Volume undermines the notion that African American students and their families are opposed to formal education, and reveals structural barriers which they face in accessing elite institutions. For African American students, unequal education is rooted in the history in the legacy of slavery and of the history of institutional and structural racism in United States. The long legacy of racism in education cannot be dismissed when reflecting on the college choice experiences of African American students made today. Authors uniquely apply Critical Race Theory (CRT) to analyse the college selection process of high achieving African American students and, highlight the similarities and differences within an impressive group of students, therefore challenging the deficit notions of African American students as perpetual under-achievers. They also show that contrary to the general assumption, African American parents are inclined towards providing their sons and daughters higher education at the elite institutes of US. The decision is often influenced by analysis of factors including the allocation of school resources, parental attitudes, university recruitment, campus outreach, and affordability. The issues of discrimination on the grounds of race, class, and gender often plays a vital role in decision making process. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, professionals and policy makers in the field of Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education, Sociology of Education, Equality & Human Rights, and African American Studies.