Freeman, Kassie. 1997. Increasing African Americans‚ Participation in Higher Education: African American High School Students‚ Perspectives. Journal of Higher Education 68(5): 523—550.
Freeman‚s study examines how 70 African-American high school students attending a cross section of school types (inner-city, suburban, magnet, and private schools) in five cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.) perceive the barriers to college facing African-American students. Students report two types of barriers, the first being economic, such as not being able to afford college or fearing an insufficient income after completing college. The second type of barrier is psychological, involving intimidation, lack of hope, and the feeling that college is not a realistic option. In response to these barriers, the respondents offer four possible solutions to increase African Americans‚ participation in higher education: improve the physical/financial capital of schools, provide motivated teachers and counselors as information channels, create strong college aspirations, and change high school curriculum to emphasize African-American cultural awareness. Freeman concludes that the assistance of African-American students in developing solutions that would increase their participation in postsecondary education would be enlightening to policy makers and empowering to the students involved.
Grubb, W. Norton. 2001. Guidance and Counseling in Community Colleges. CCRC Brief, July. Community College Research Center.
The author highlights the particular challenges of providing guidance and counseling services in community colleges, as well as some of the types and approaches typically employed. Since community colleges serve a wide range of students with diverse educational interests and goals, it is necessary for the colleges to provide a wide array of services to meet the counseling and guidance needs of all students. Community colleges typically have low completion rates. Better-targeted and timed counseling services and increased availability of counseling may help students to identify and meet educational goals. The author calls for additional research on community college students‚ need for counseling and on approaches and strategies that are effective with this population.
Immerwahr, John. 2003. With Diploma in Hand: Hispanic High School Seniors Talk About Their Future. San Jose, CA: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
In an effort to uncover why there is a gap between what Latino parents wish for their childrens' educational attainment and what their children actually attain, Immerwahr interviews 50 high school seniors of primarily Mexican ancestry in San Antonio, Santa Clara (California), Tucson, Chicago, and New York City who were expecting to graduate at the end of the year. He also interviews a group of 14 teachers in San Antonio and four parents of high school seniors in Tucson. Three themes emerge from this preliminary study: first, a considerable diversity exists among the Latino population with regard to their college plans; second, obstacles that college-bound students face include the lack of financial resources and knowledge about college, limited adult supervision in making educational choices, confusion about the benefits of a college education, and competing financial options including part-time work and military service; third, a portion of students have made substantial progress in the college admissions process with the help of a teacher or adult role model who provided necessary support in the application process.