Search results for: Social capital

This article aims to test the statement that affirmative action fails to target the most marginalised members of a disadvantaged group, and instead it supports the group’s most affluent members whose socio-economic position may be comparable to that of the mainstream population. It examines this statement on the case of ethnic Roma in higher education, based on the socio-economic data on Roma students collected by Roma Education Fund. The findings reveal that although Roma students come from better-off environments than the mainstream Roma communities, at the same time they come from more disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds compared to the mainstream students, and even to the mainstream population.

In this article, the authors examined factors that facilitate or hinder teachers’ and teacher’s aides’ pursuit of college education. Results revealed that both structural and psychological factors are associated with teachers’ and teacher’s aides’ enrollment in college. However, the authors found that the only practical obstacles were related to enrollment were full-time employment and lack of child care for mothers of children under 14. They also found that beliefs about education and motivation were critical for enrollment as well as social support from parents. The authors suggests that colleges and universities that serve low-income working women could develop child care options for them while they are attending class.

This qualitative study describes how the coach program works and analyzes key aspects that may explain its positive relationship with college enrollment outcomes. Interviews were conducted between the spring of 2006 and spring of 2007 with nine current and former college coaches, two postsecondary specialists, and 30 high school seniors in two coach schools, which serve students who are predominantly African American or Latino and low-income.