Exploring the Pre-College Navigation of White Educational Spaces as a Resource for College Adjustment

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Whiteness and White Supremacy in Education: Pedagogy and Power in K–12 and Higher Education

Abstract

As products of racially circumscribed socio-historical processes in higher education, Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) operate as White spaces wherein White racial frames dominate the social structure. As widely promoted means of upward mobility, successful navigation of PWIs is a large, if unnamed, aspect of achievement for racially minoritized people. This study explores whether navigating white educational spaces before attending PWIs impacts the college social adjustment of minoritized students. Using indicators from the Minority College Consortium Study, I find that racially minoritized students from majority White high schools show greater adjustment to PWIs than students from schools with mostly racially minoritized students. This race-centered, interaction-level approach to college preparation and persistence is critical in an enduring “college for all” environment.

Author

• Ja'Dell Davis, University of Wisconsin - Madison