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Res High Educ (2011) 52:786807 DOI 10.1007/s11162-011-9222-7
Mark E. Engberg Daniel J. Allen
Received: 5 July 2010 / Published online: 5 March 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
Abstract Recognizing the current administrations focus on improving postsecondary access, this study examines resource allocation patterns and the predictive power of these resources in increasing the likelihood of 2- and 4-year college enrollment among low-income students. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study, college choice decision-making is conceptualized in relation to an individuals habitus and capital deciency theory. The results reveal signicant differences in the availability and predictive power of various forms of capital across enrollment classications. The study concludes with implications for administrators and policymakers interested in improving access for low-income students.
Keywords College choice Low-income Access Education policy Social capital
Human capital Cultural capital
Education predicts disparities in life chances, outcomes, life incomes, and the disparity has never been starker (Duncan 2010).
One of the most pressing social justice issues of the twenty-rst century is providing the opportunity for every American to pursue an education that could potentially unlock a life of reward and fulllment. Achieving this goal, however, remains a formidable challenge, especially given the wide disparities in postsecondary access among Black, Hispanic, and low income students (ACT 2010; Bozick and Lauff 2007). Only 40% of low income students, for instance, enroll in a postsecondary institution immediately upon high school graduation versus 84% of those students with family incomes over US $100,000 (Bozick and Lauff 2007). These disparities in access fuel the reproduction of social inequality that has characterized American society for centuries, and the resultant talent loss translates into social and economic losses at both the individual and societal level. Unless something is done, many more of Americas brightest, lower income students will meet this
M. E. Engberg (&) D. J. Allen
Loyola University Chicago, School of Education, 820 N. Michigan Ave., Rm 1140, Chicago, IL 60611, USAe-mail: [email protected]
Uncontrolled Destinies: Improving Opportunityfor Low-Income Students in American Higher Education
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same educational fate, robbing them of opportunity and our nation of a valuable resource (Wyner et al. 2007, p. 4).
Adding needed visibility to the issue, President Obama has called for every American to commit to attending...