Fantasies of Ballin': The Educational and Occupational Aspirations of Homeless Youth

• In Event: 14.045 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.045-2 - Engagement, Experience, and Aspiration

Abstract

Since the onset of the recent economic recession, rates of school-aged youth homelessness have increased rapidly in areas throughout the US, yet we know little about their experiences. Drawing on participant observations and in-depth interviews with 26 diverse homeless adolescents, this study explores the educational experiences and aspirations of homeless youth who identify as Black, Latino, or White, and how their life chances are influenced and shaped by the actions (or inaction) of schooling institutions. I rely on interview data and my observations to illustrate how all the adolescents, while agentic in some ways, are persuaded to pursue particular educational trajectories or occupations based, not on their talents or abilities, but their group affiliations and social identities.

Author

• Shanta R. Robinson, University of Chicago