Metro and Non-Metro Variation in Postsecondary Enrollment:  The Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Residential Location in Texas

Sparks, Corey S.; Cano-McCutcheon, Paulina; Sansone, Vanessa A.

doi:10.31274/jctp.11013

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…I deliberately chose these communities to build on past research by Sansone et al (2020), who found a relationship between Texas's rural residency and the proportion of Latinos living in the rural area. More specifically, Sansone et al (2020) found that students in rural areas in Texas where large proportions of Latinos lived were the least likely to enroll in college when compared with their urban and suburban counterparts. Using the purposive method (Creswell, 2013), I selected rural communities from multiple high schools across three rural regions in South Texas.…”

Section: Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All these hardships have been amplified by COVID-19 (Noe-Bustamante, et al, 2021) as well as anti-immigration, anti–English language learner, and anti-Latino federal policy regimes (Núñez, 2014). As such, Latino youth living in rural areas where large populations of Latinos reside are less likely to benefit from college opportunities, and they may continue to experience greater social and economic losses that will have disparate impacts on the individuals, but also on the rural regions where they live (Sansone et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introduction To Issue Of Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2018, Latinos made up 34% of Texas's rural population, but very few (12%) of this same population enrolled in college or earned a postsecondary credential or degree (Leal et al, 2021). Past research has showed that race and place work collectively, not independently, in influencing college enrollment and that there are disparities in accessing postsecondary opportunities for racial/ethnic minorities in rural America, particularly among college-age Latinos living in rural Texas (Sansone et al, 2020). Although a handful of studies have been conducted on rural Latinos' college experiences (e.g., Cabrera et al, 2012;Gildersleeve, 2010;Gonzalez & Ruiz, 2014;O'Connor et al, 2010), the questions of whether and how the rural geography influences Latinos' perceptions about college and enrollment decisions remain unanswered.…”

Section: Introduction To Issue Of Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Applying Intersectionality to Address Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

Sansone

2023

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context: There is a growing concern about the ways in which geography affects the educational opportunity for America’s rural youth. Most research on this population has assumed that rural America is primarily White and that rural college access is stratified by an individual’s ability to complete the application process. Such approaches ignore race and the interplay among geography, admissions practices, and individual behavior and decision-making. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This study examines the postsecondary experiences and opportunity structures for Latino youth living in rural Latino communities in South Texas. The purpose of this study is to understand quantitively and qualitatively how the geographic context of a predominantly rural Latino area shaped the college-going process and pathway decisions for the Latino youth living within these rural communities. To critically understand beyond the individual and learn about how systemic conditions in rural Latino communities can usher in (dis)advantages in their postsecondary experiences and sort students into pathways, this study employed Núñez’s (2014) multilevel model of intersectionality framework. As such, this study asked the following research questions: (1) What is the college access experience for Latino youth living in rural communities in South Texas? (2) In what ways, if any, do rural Latino youth describe how their rural geography structures (in) equalities in the college-going process? (3) How are rural Latino youths’ college access and opportunity structured, and does this differ from other geographic contexts? Research Design: Using a three-phase mixed-methods design (QUAL→quan), this study interviewed 101 Latino youth living in three different rural areas in South Texas toward the end of their senior year of high school. The quantitative component of the study used descriptive and spatial data to further expand on, complement, and confirm the intersectional findings in the qualitative data. In the last phase, data were integrated, and inferences were made about how college access opportunities are structured for Latino youth living in rural communities. Conclusions/Recommendations: Using an intersectionality framework, this study identified several ways in which the geography of rural Latino communities is structured that render and perpetuate inequities and disadvantages for Latino youth pursuing college. Rural Latino youth lived in communities that systemically experienced higher poverty, lower median incomes, and less access to resources and opportunities as compared with (sub)urban metro areas. Most students discussed how these geographic conditions played a role in the ways that bounded the opportunities they experienced during their college-going process and their decision to enroll at a college within close proximity to their rural region. This study has implications for how intersectionality frames can expand our understanding of the unique characteristics of rural regions that creates both opportunities and challenges for rural Latino youth pursuing postsecondary opportunities. This is significant given that most higher education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners conflate the racial/ethnic diversity of rural areas with whiteness and being White. In doing so, they overlook the presence of Latinos in rural areas and ignore their intersecting assets and challenges, hindering effective policy solutions that can better support historically marginalized students.

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Section: Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction To Issue Of Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction To Issue Of Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Applying Intersectionality to Address Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

Sansone

2023

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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“…Rural Latino communities of color have: For more detail on these findings, read a recent study (Sansone et al, 2020) and report (Leal et al, 2021). Colleges and Universities, to provide financial support to local and regional higher education institutions that serve rural Latino students.…”

Section: Barriers To College-going Opportunities For Latino Youth Liv...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For more detail on these findings, read a recent study (Sansone et al, 2020) and report (Leal et al, 2021) .…”

Section: Barriers To College-going Opportunities For Latino Youth Liv...mentioning

confidence: 99%

FACTSHEET – Addressing Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

Sansone

2023

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Reconsidering Rural-Nonrural College Enrollment Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Geographies of Opportunity

Wells,

Chen,

Bettencourt

et al. 2023

Res High Educ

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Rural students enroll in college at lower rates than nonrural students. This has been partially attributed to lower average socioeconomic status (SES) in rural areas. However, this assertion tends to ignore heterogeneity that may mask how SES shapes rural students’ college-going experiences. Utilizing a geography of opportunity framework, this study investigated how rural-nonrural differences in college-going vary based on SES. Analyses reveal that (a) rural and nonrural students in the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) had very similar mean SES; (b) rural status still predicted lower college enrollment rates overall, as well as four-year enrollment specifically; (c) the overall rural-nonrural enrollment gap was primarily a gap for low- and middle-SES students; and (d) there was greater socioeconomic inequality in college access in rural geographies than in nonrural geographies. These findings reinforce the fact rural students are not a monolithic group and emphasize the continued importance of SES between and within geographies. Given these findings, recommendations are provided with the intent of making college enrollment more equitable by the joint consideration of rurality and SES. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11162-023-09737-8 .

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Metro and Non-Metro Variation in Postsecondary Enrollment: The Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Residential Location in Texas

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Applying Intersectionality to Address Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

Applying Intersectionality to Address Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

FACTSHEET – Addressing Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities—Rural Latino Youth

Reconsidering Rural-Nonrural College Enrollment Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Geographies of Opportunity

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