Social Capital for College

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between networks that provide high school students with "social capital for college" (SCFC) and their access to selective institutions. It also explores the link between racial disparities in access to selective colleges and the composition of students' SCFC networks. Findings indicate that while composition of students' SCFC networks did not vary by race, it was associated with significant differences in the selectivity of their first choice colleges. They also indicate that students in our sample who relied heavily on their peers for information related to college-going are less likely to pursue access to the most selective colleges. Keywords college access, urban education, African American students, Hispanic studentsIn the past three decades, access to postsecondary education has become an increasingly influential factor shaping adult opportunities and an important

Social Capital and College-Going Culture in High Schools: the Effects of College Expectations and College Talk on Students' Postsecondary Attendance

“…expectations for college, mainly as a rational exchange between students and their families (e.g., Hossler et al, 1999). Other bodies of research focus on the school context as an important means of transmitting college aspirations and college planning information (Alvarez & Mehan, 2006;González, Stone, & Jovel, 2003;Hill, 2008;Hill, Bregman, & Andrade, 2015;Holland & Farmer-Hinton, 2009;McClafferty, McDonough, & Nunez, 2002). Perna's (2006) model shows that students operate within multiple contexts that serve different roles such as how the larger social and economic policy contexts impact the policies and practices of higher education and secondary school contexts, leaving high school staff, students, and families to navigate these contexts for students' college access.…”

“…Beyond these two extremes, school communities in the U.S. vary. Schools are not always filled with intentional relationships that share resources and information around college preparation, especially since the social ties or relationships between students and school staff members may be absent due to organizational size, transitions, and inconsistencies that disrupt meaningful attachments within the school network (Ceja, 2000;Corwin, Venegas, Oliverez, & Colyar., 2004;Farmer-Hinton & Holland, 2008;Freeman, 1997;Hill, 2008;Hill et al, 2015;Kozol, 1991;Mazzeo, 2010;McDonough, 2004McDonough, , 2005National Association for College Admission Counseling, 2008;Noguera, 2003;Schneider, 2015;Stanton-Salazar, 2011;Stanton-Salazar & Dornbusch, 1995;Valenzuela, 1999;Walpole et al, 2008;Wimberly & Noeth, 2004;Woods & Domina, 2014;Yun & Moreno, 2006). Schools may have an unstated or nondeliberate college preparatory mission, but individual staff members rally around students and form those social ties informally despite the lack of any expressed intentionality from a school mission or its leaders (McDonough, 1997;Noeth & Wimberly, 2002;O'Connor, 2000).…”

“…O'Connor's (2000) work shows how even informal school-based advocates and mentors helped students complete the necessary steps for college admission. In O'Connor's study, students who did not have such advocates and mentors did not have the support to navigate school systems and structures that prevent students from planning for college (see also Hill et al, 2015;Massé, Perez, & Posselt, 2010;Stanton-Salazar, 2011).…”

Serving the Developmental and Learning Needs of the 21st Century Diverse College Student Population: A Review of Literature

“…In another study, Hill, Bregman and Andrade (2014) determined that while all students of color at urban high schools had access to social capital for college, how they accessed it was associated with significant differences in which institutional types they focused on as their first choice. Students, who relied more on peer information than other types of social capital, were more likely to choose less selective colleges and universities as their first enrollment choice (Hill et al, 2014).…”

“…Students, who relied more on peer information than other types of social capital, were more likely to choose less selective colleges and universities as their first enrollment choice (Hill et al, 2014). Nonetheless, validating the presence of, and access to social and cultural capital as an important factor in college enrollment for diverse, underrepresented, under-resourced, and first-generation students is important to acknowledge and leverage.…”