The College Prep Pipeline: A Wider Pipeline with More Shutoff Valves

• In Event: 2484 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Higher Education 1

Abstract

There is a rise of “college for all” expectations across American high schools. College enrollment and graduation rates do not appear to be reflecting the rise in college preparation curriculum that pervades high schools today. This study uses the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) to evaluate the access to, enrollment in, and quality of the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate college prep coursework across US high schools to understand the pipeline of college prep curriculum leading to college enrollment and graduation. Evidence supports theoretical ideas of effectively maintained inequality (Lucas 2001) and a diseconomy of resources (Coleman 1990) entering into the curricular pipeline once students are taking courses. The four stages along the pipeline: from access to enrollment to quality and credentialing demonstrate disproportionate stratification of opportunities to learn among students depending on their racial or ethnic identity. Material, human, and social resources of the schools and districts explain disparity and equal representation outcomes.

Author

• Heather E. Price, Marian University