Racial/Ethnic Group Differences in the Realization of Educational Plans

This study examines racial/ethnic group differences in two-and four-year college enrollment rates of bachelor\u27s degree aspirants,controlled for differences in expected costs and benefits, financial resources, academic characteristics, and social and cultural capital. The sample (n=7,832) is drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Study(NELS:90/94), which surveys students during middle and high school and two years after high school. The study finds that despite an increase in the predisposition toward college, only 28 percent of African Americans and 20 percent of Hispanics were actually enrolled in a four-year institution during the fall after their expected high school graduations. The study concludes that when the econometric framework is expanded to include measures of social and cultural capital, college choice does not conform to a rational choice model. The findings suggest several reasons why African Americans and Hispanics are less likely than whites and Asians to enroll in a four-year college immediately after graduating from high school. Important factors include their under-representation among students enrolled in at least one advanced mathematics course; for Hispanics, another barrier appears to be related to the level of parental involvement; and for African Americans, the decision is influenced by the values, norms, and characteristics of the high school attended