Divergent Paths to College

Race, Class, and Inequality in High Schools

By Megan M Holland

SERIES: Critical Issues in American Education

Rutgers University Press

In Divergent Paths to College, Megan M. Holland examines how high schools structure different pathways that lead students to very different college destinations based on race and class. She finds that racial and class inequalities are reproduced through unequal access to key sources of information, even among students in the same school and even in schools with well-established college-going cultures. As the college application process becomes increasingly complex and high-stakes, social capital, or relationships with people who can provide information as well as support and guidance, becomes much more critical. Although much has been written about the college-bound experience, we know less about the role that social capital plays, and specifically how high schools can serve as organizational brokers of social ties. The relationships that high schools cultivate between students and higher education institutions by inviting college admissions officers into their schools to market to students, is a particularly critical, yet unexplored source of college information.

In lively, clear, and well-written prose, Holland compellingly argues that students at two high performing, ethnoracially diverse high schools receive varied access to college information. Divergent Paths to College adds a much needed look at the institutional dynamics that affect the cumulative decisions that high schoolers make about whether, where, and when to apply to college.'
Lisa M. Nunn, author of Defining Student Success: The Role of School and Culture

Applying to college? Know what road to travel' interview with Megan Holland WBFO interview

Research outlines inequalities in high school students’ college searches' by Charles Anzalone mention of Divergent Paths to College UBNow

Holland takes us inside two different American high schools to offer a deeply nuanced look at how the focus of scholars and policymakers on individual choice has limited our understanding of how young people negotiate their transitions to higher education. She very skillfully elicits from students the ways that larger social structures and processes work to the benefit of some students while holding others back. The study is well-designed, Holland’s interpretations of her data even-handed and persuasive, and Divergent Paths to College is highly and refreshingly readable.'
David Bills, author of The Sociology of Education and Work

Helping disadvantaged students navigate the college selection process' mention of Divergent Paths to College News Ticker

Holland presents a nuanced description of the divergent paths to college that high schools craft for different students. Instead of token efforts, this book provides an insightful analysis of ways to create real college opportunity for students. James Rosenbaum, co-author of Bridging the Gaps: College Pathways to Career Success

How Social Capital Affects College Choice,' by Peter Monaghan Chronicle of Higher Education

MEGAN M. HOLLAND is an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership and policy at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York.

Contents

List of Tables

1          College Dreams and College Outcomes

2          Everyone Goes to College

3          Racial Context, Tracking and Peers

4          When Brokering Fails: Guidance Holes and Broken Trust

5          Opportunities or Opportunistic: Marketing in Higher Education

6          Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

7          Consequences for the Application Process, College Destinations, and Beyond

Methodological Appendix

Acknowledgements

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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