The Varied College Pathways of Latino Young Adults: A Narrative Study of Empowerment Theory

Abstract

School counselors are uniquely positioned to promote college going and improve lagging postsecondary matriculation for Latino men. Hipolito-Delgado and Lee’s empowerment framework guided this narrative inquiry to consider how school counselors (dis)empower Latinos via (in)access to college-going information. Findings revealed that participants experienced clear pathways or prohibitive roadblocks through the actions of school counselors as gatekeepers. Implications for school counseling practice and future research are situated within recommendations for creating more equitable college pathways.

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

“…In contrast, we found a positive relationship between visiting a school counselor to discuss college going and applying to college only for students in 11th grade; ninth-grade students who met with a school counselor to discuss college going ultimately were less likely to apply to college, even though they were generally just as likely to aspire to college. The latter finding is consistent with existing qualitative research suggesting that school counselors do not always promote Latinos’ college-going efforts (Ballysingh, 2019b; M. D. Martinez, 2003). Given the limitations of our data set, we can only speculate that some Latinos who visit a school counselor in ninth grade are being counseled away from college and that many of those who were counseled against college do not return to see the counselor in 11th grade.…”

“…Other research points to less positive relationships between school counselors and college going for Latinx/a/o students specifically. For example, school counselors may neglect the needs of Latinx/a/o students (González et al, 2003), counsel them away from college-preparatory courses, or provide insufficient or misinformation about attending college (Ballysingh, 2019b; Martinez, 2003). Others have found that school counselors withheld information about financing college and the potential increase in lifetime earnings that make college a good long-term investment (Huerta et al, 2018).…”

“…In one study, Latino students described how school counselors discouraged them from pursuing college through within-high-school tracking and racial microaggressions (Cerezo et al, 2012). 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).…”

“…Quantitative studies examining low-income students more generally suggest that school counselors can improve college-going outcomes (Belasco, 2013; Bryan et al, 2017; Cholewa et al, 2016; Robinson & Roksa, 2016), especially in schools with strong college-going norms (Snodgrass Rangel & Ballysingh, 2020). Qualitative work on the role of school counselors, however, exposes challenges for both low-income students and Latinx/a/os, revealing gatekeeping behaviors, information gaps, and structural constraints (Acevedo-Gil, 2019; Ballysingh, 2019b; Martinez & Huerta, 2020; Zarate & Gallimore, 2005).…”

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

“…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).…”