College Is …: Focusing on the College Knowledge of Gang-Associated Latino Young Men

Abstract

Research shows that gang-associated youth are less likely to complete high school and earn a postsecondary educational credential. However, scholars have not determined “why” gang youth do not persist into higher education. This ethnographic study aims to focus on the narratives of 13 Latino high school young men to understand what college knowledge they possess. We found the students have aspirations to pursue postsecondary education degrees or credentials; however, they receive minimal information and support from school personnel to build the needed college-going behaviors and information to plan and prepare for higher education.

Mechanisms of Matriculation: School Counseling Resources and College Going for Latino Men

“…In a separate study, Latino students recounted how counselors tracked them toward less selective institutions despite clear academic qualifications and eligibility for financial assistance (Ballysingh, 2019b). Findings such as these may explain why Latinx/a/o students anticipate postsecondary institutional obstacles during college choice and transition (Acevedo-Gil, 2019), why college planning and preparation do not match college aspirations (Huerta et al, 2020), and why many Latinos, in particular, must leverage cultural capital, such as maternal cultural wealth, in lieu of adequate institutional support to pursue college (Ballysingh, 2019a).…”

Higher Education and Justice-Impacted Students: Toward a Radical Reimagining

“…At that point, targeted advocacy will be able tip the scales of power, moving necessary conversations about policy and procedures from the grottoes and catacombs of the university to the recognized spaces backed by institutional charters and supported by concrete university investment. In the meantime, continued research is needed to further establish the value of “gifts” (Halkovic & Greene, 2015; Halkovic et al, 2013), hustle, or skillsets formerly incarcerated and other non-traditional and justice-impacted students bring to universities (Giraldo et al, 2017; Huerta et al, in press). Until the embedded power structures in higher education create more welcoming pathways for formerly incarcerated students to become a protected group, formerly incarcerated students are parlayed within the university’s ability to showcase and include this population as a part of their diversity efforts.…”

Supporting Black and Latino boys in school: A call to action

“…As Harper and Williams observed, social scientists have learned much already about the multiple institutional failures that prevent boys of color from positively transitioning into adulthood. For instance, researchers have established that Black and Latino boys are disproportionately subjected to aggressive disciplinary practices in school (Howard, 2014; Musto, 2019); that boys of color who are suspected of having associations with gangs tend to face particularly harsh discipline in schools (Huerta et al, 2020); that school suspensions and expulsions predict increased contact with the juvenile justice system and subsequent arrests (Mittleman, 2018), and that increased justice contact negatively impacts academic performance and college attendance (Johnson, 2015; Shedd, 2015). However, noted Harper and Williams, while the evidence shows that harsh disciplinary practices — suspending and expelling these students for minor infractions, and then pushing them out and away from schooling environments — are ineffective (Wood et al, 2018), much less is known about the institutional policies, practices, and other factors that lead to positive outcomes for these students.…”

“…Just like other young people, then, Black and Latino boys deserve effective counseling that can help them translate their ambitions into concrete plans (Ballysingh, 2019; Carey, 2019; Huerta et al, 2020). And yet, previous research suggests that high school boys (of all races and ethnicities) tend to be less likely than girls to seek out college information and support from counselors (Bryan et al, 2009).…”

“…And that’s no less true for those who struggle in school or have criminal records. For instance, even the most “hardened” gang members want their younger male siblings to do well in school and stay out of trouble (Huerta et al, 2020; Rios, 2017). And the students who act out the most are often themselves striving to overcome trauma, violence, and victimization (Huerta, 2018; Peguero, 2011).…”