Academic culture beyond the individual: Group-level norms and college enrollment.

Although many scholars have written about culture in schools and discuss culture as a group-level phenomenon, quantitative studies tend to empirically examine culture at the individual-level. This study presents a group-level conceptualization of academic culture known as cultural heterogeneity-the presence of a diverse array of competing and conflicting cultural models-to examine whether variation in school-level academic orientation predicts college enrollment. We use the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS) to show that whereas academic press (or average school academic culture) is positively related to enrollment, variation in school academic culture is associated with declines in enrollment. These findings hold net of students' own academic behaviors and beliefs, background factors, and school characteristics. Thus, exposure to conflicting models of culture can lead youth to make decisions that do not reflect broader societal goals. This study addresses the misalignment between the conceptual and empirical definitions of culture in education by examining the link between school academic culture measured as a group-level process, which is consistent with how scholars discuss culture, and college enrollment.

The impact of suspension on participation in school-based extracurricular activities and out-of-school community service.

In recent decades, school suspensions have increased dramatically in the United States. To date, researchers have assessed the consequences of suspensions on adolescents' academic achievement, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between school discipline and youths' engagement on in-school and out-of-school activities. In this study, we investigate the relationship between suspension (i.e., in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, or both) and youth participation in extracurricular activities, both in-school and outside of school, using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Results suggest students who are suspended are less likely to participate in school clubs (e.g., student government, yearbook, band/choir), and are also less likely to participate in volunteer work/community service. This suggests the impact of school discipline extends beyond the schooling context. These results provide insight into how suspensions may function as a 'pushout' mechanism for youth by compromising their attachment to school.

Racial and Social Class Differences in How Parents Respond to Inadequate Achievement: Consequences for Children's Future Achievement.

OBJECTIVE: Despite numerous studies on parental involvement in children's academic schooling, there is a dearth of knowledge on how parents respond specifically to inadequate academic performance. This study examines whether 1) racial differences exist in parenting philosophy for addressing inadequate achievement, 2) social class has implications for parenting philosophy, and 3) parents' philosophies are consequential for children's academic achievement. METHODS: Using data from the Child Development Supplement (N=1041) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we sort parents into two categories-those whose parenting repertoires for addressing poor achievement include punitive responses and those whose repertoires do not. We then determine whether racial differences exist between these categories and how various responses within the aforementioned categories are related to students' academic achievement. RESULTS: The findings show that white and black parents have markedly different philosophies on how to respond to inadequate performance, and these differences appear to impact children's achievement in dramatically different ways. CONCLUSION: Educators and policy makers should pay particular attention to how parents respond to inadequate achievement as imploring parents of inadequately performing students to be more involved without providing them with some guidance might exacerbate the problem.

HISPANICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE TEXAS TOP TEN PERCENT LAW.

This paper examines the consequences of changes in Hispanic college enrollment after affirmative action was banned and replaced by an admission guarantee for students who graduate in the top 10% of their high school class. We use administrative data on applicants, admittees and enrollees from the two most selective public institutions and TEA data about high schools to evaluate whether and how application, admission and enrollment rates changed under the three admission regimes. Despite popular claims that the top 10% law has restored diversity to Texas's public flagships, our analyses that account for secular changes in the size of graduation cohorts show that Hispanics are more disadvantaged relative to whites under the top 10% admission regime at both UT and TAMU. Simulations of Hispanics' gains and losses at each stage of the college pipeline reveal that affirmative action is the most efficient policy to diversify college campuses, even in highly segregated states like Texas.

Ambition gone awry: the long-term socioeconomic consequences of misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether misaligned or uncertain ambitions in adolescence influence the process of socioeconomic attainment. METHODS: Using 34 years of longitudinal data from the British Cohort Study (BCS70), we considered whether youth with (1) misaligned ambitions (i.e., those who either over- or underestimate the level of education required for their desired occupation), (2) both low occupational aspirations and educational expectations (low-aligned ambitions), and (3) uncertainty with regard to their future occupations (uncertain ambitions) at age 16 experienced more unemployment spells, lower educational attainment, and lower hourly wages in adulthood compared to youth with high occupational aspirations and educational expectations (high-aligned ambitions). RESULTS: Youth who hold misaligned or uncertain aspirations show long-term deficits in employment stability and educational attainment, which in turn leads to lower wage attainments at age 34. CONCLUSION: Misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence compromise the construction of life paths and the realization of long-term educational and occupational goals.

MINORITY HIGHER EDUCATION PIPLINE: CONSEQUNCES OF CHANGES IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS POLICY IN TEXAS.

This paper uses administrative data for the two most selective Texas public institutions to examine the application, admission and enrollment consequences of rescinding affirmative action and implementing the top 10% admission regime. We simulate the gains and losses associated with each policy regime and also those from assigning minorities the application, admission and enrollment rates for white students. Challenging popular claims that the top 10% law restored diversification of Texas's public flagships, our analyses that consider both changes in the size of high school graduation cohorts and institutional carrying capacity show that the uniform admission regime did not restore Hispanic and black representation at UT and TAMU even after four years. Simulations of gains and losses at each stage of the college pipeline across admission regimes for Hispanics and blacks confirm that affirmative action is the most efficient policy to diversify college campuses, even in highly segregated states like Texas.