Description
Book SynopsisDocuments the benefits of affirmative action for minority students, their communities, and the nation at large. This book investigates the roots of minority underperformance in selective colleges and universities. It explains how such factors as neighborhood, family, peer group, and early schooling influence the academic performance of students.
Trade Review"This is scholarship of the first order, a study that will influence thinking about our society for the next generation."--Jay Mathews, Washington Monthly "This is a beautifully written book. Each word is so carefully chosen and the style so limpid that the text is a pleasure to read... In short, this is a book that should be bought and read by every serious student of education."--Terence Kealey, The Times Higher Education Supplement "This is a very valuable contribution to the sociological study of access to American higher education by ethnic minorities. It also contains useful information for campus personnel and academic staff... [T]his is how social science should be written... This book is highly relevant to those academic staff concerned with meaningful access for all to higher education."--Gerald Postiglione, Educational Review
Table of ContentsLIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi CHAPTER ONE: The Puzzle of Minority Underachievement 1 CHAPTER TWO: Sample and Methodology 20 CHAPTER THREE: Family Origins 46 CHAPTER FOUR: Neighborhood Background 70 CHAPTER FIVE: Prior Educational Experiences 87 CHAPTER SIX: The Social World of High School 109 CHAPTER SEVEN: Racial Identity and Attitudes 133 CHAPTER EIGHT: Pathways to Preparation 155 CHAPTER NINE: Sink or Swim: The First Semester 184 CHAPTER TEN: Lessons Learned 197 Appendix A.Survey of College Life and Experience: First-Wave Instrument 209 Appendix B.Construction of Social Scales 251 REFERENCES 269 INDEX 279
