Description
Book SynopsisMegan M. Holland examines how high schools structure different pathways that lead to very different college destinations based on race and class. She finds that racial and class inequalities are reproduced through unequal access to key sources of information, even among students in the same school and even in schools with well-established college-going cultures.
Trade Review"In lively, clear, and well-written prose, Holland compellingly argues that students at two high performing, ethnoracially diverse high schools receive varied access to college information.
Divergent Paths to College adds a much needed look at the institutional dynamics that affect the cumulative decisions that high schoolers make about whether, where, and when to apply to college."
-- Lisa M. Nunn * author of Defining Student Success: The Role of School and Culture *
"Applying to college? Know what road to travel" interview with Megan Holland * WBFO interview *
"Research outlines inequalities in high school students’ college searches" by Charles Anzalone mention of
Divergent Paths to College * UBNow *
"Holland takes us inside two different American high schools to offer a deeply nuanced look at how the focus of scholars and policymakers on individual choice has limited our understanding of how young people negotiate their transitions to higher education. She very skillfully elicits from students the ways that larger social structures and processes work to the benefit of some students while holding others back. The study is well-designed, Holland’s interpretations of her data even-handed and persuasive, and
Divergent Paths to College is highly and refreshingly readable."
-- David Bills * author of The Sociology of Education and Work *
"Helping disadvantaged students navigate the college selection process" mention of Divergent Paths to College
* News Ticker *
"Holland presents a nuanced description of the divergent paths to college that high schools craft for different students. Instead of token efforts, this book provides an insightful analysis of ways to create real college opportunity for students." -- James Rosenbaum * co-author of Bridging the Gaps: College Pathways to Career Success *
"How Social Capital Affects College Choice," by Peter Monaghan * Chronicle of Higher Education *
Table of ContentsContents
List of Tables
1 College Dreams and College Outcomes
2 Everyone Goes to College
3 Racial Context, Tracking and Peers
4 When Brokering Fails: Guidance Holes and Broken Trust
5 Opportunities or Opportunistic: Marketing in Higher Education
6 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
7 Consequences for the Application Process, College Destinations, and Beyond
Methodological Appendix
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index
