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High School Internships as Forms of College and Career-Going Capital for Low-Income, Urban Youth

Fri, April 8, 12:00 to 1:30pm, Convention Center, Floor: Level Three, Ballroom A

Abstract

As part of the growing movement to prepare all students for college and careers, the latest wave of internships seeks to engage youth in rigorous project-based learning within a “real-world” 21st Century learning context. Unlike the job-training placements of prior reform generations, today’s high school interns are not consigned to a vocational track that steers them away from college. This paper investigates the experience of 220 urban youth who participated in an innovative high school internship program between 2011 and 2014. Using mixed methods, our aim was to understand the types of knowledge, information, and supports these students acquired as interns and relate these forms of capital to the college-going process. Findings include students’ career exploration, self-regulation, and expanded networks.

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