Pathways as Tracking: A Relational Ethnography of Students’ Transitions to College

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Access and Equity in Higher Education: Financial Aid, Enrollment Policies, and Pathways to College Success (Table 13)

Abstract

Students’ transitions to college are often conceptualized as a pathway. However, upon closer examination these pathways appear to be far more restrictive and limiting. Academic tracking is one method utilized by schools that sorts students into these limiting pathways. The findings presented in this ethnographic study illustrate how students’ opportunities and access to college can be either limited or made boundless through academic tracking practices. These findings offer insights into the nature of transitioning to college within stratified educational systems and through unjust processes.

Author

• Shawn R. Coon, Westminster University