| James Valadez
North Carolina State University
The impact of social class and school knowledge on postsecondary aspirations of public school students
FINAL REPORT:
Research on the social stratification of U.S. society has shown great concern over the link between schooling and social inequality. Studies on ability grouping or tracking for instance have shown that the formation of high school students' career and postsecondary aspirations are influenced by students' positions in the hierarchical structure of the school. This study examines the relationship of student background characteristics, school level practices, and postsecondary aspirations of students from ethnic and cultural minorities. The U. S. has traditionally relied on its public schools to provide an educated workforce. Developing a better understanding of the factors that shape minority students' educational aspirations, as well as identifying methods of positively influencing these aspirations, therefore remains as one of the most substantial and important challenges of contemporary public education.
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