Synthesis

For my peer-reviewed journals, I chose Pathways From Middle School to College: Examining the Impact of an Urban, Precollege Preparation Program by Jennifer Ng, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, and Karen Lombardi and High-Poverty Urban High School Students’ Plans for Higher Education: Weaving Their Own Safety Nets by Sebnem Cilesiz and Stephanie M. Drotos. 

In the first article titled “Pathways From Middle School to College: Examining the Impact of an Urban, Precollege Preparation Program“, the researchers looked into Pathways Partnership, a precollege preparation program located in Kansas City, Kansas. Research is done through quantitative data based surveys from participants and their guardians that assess their own goals and perceptions of access to higher ed and qualitative data from open ended questions and discussions with themes on social capital, community involvement, self-efficacy, and program mission statements.
In relation to the college aspirations of its students, the researchers found that students gained valuable cultural and social capital when the program covered the costs to visit schools, as “learning about the college admissions process as well as available financial aid was significant”, helping a student gain “a better view for college and more interest to attend it.” Furthermore, the research found that “participants clearly recognized the value of being exposed to future opportunities like college when their life aspirations were still developing and the critical need for strategic, continuous planning throughout their formative years.”
In regards to the emphasis of self-efficacy and success, the researchers found that the students begin to develop confidence and skills sets necessary to thrive in higher education institutions, where resources are more readily available than their homes. Researchers found how a student “expressed an understanding of being proactive and resourceful, explaining ‘Everybody has a certain person that they may go to for help. And when you get information from those people that you go to for help…you’re communicating with them and you’re being a leader and stepping up.’ ” These college prep programs train students to gain a sense of entitlement and direction when it comes to reaching out for help and having a better understanding of the bureaucracy of resources in higher education. ¹
In conclusion, this article focuses on the positive impacts of such a program, particularly on the college aspirations of its students and academic self-efficacy needed to thrive in college.

In the second article titled “High-Poverty Urban High School Students’ Plans for Higher Education: Weaving Their Own Safety Nets,” the researchers followed and interviewed 76 participants and focused on the students’ view of higher education in relation to their socioeconomic conditions, their assessment of risk/reward factors associated with attending college, and how they developed safety nets for themselves.
The researchers found that “in addition to financial cost being a key concern in students’ decision to attend college… economically disadvantaged students’ central concerns regarded social and academic risks of attending college, which appear to stem from students’ sociocultural background.” In essence, the researchers found that students internalized practices and a limited perspective, a culture of poverty, due to their sociocultural background, and have to learn to unpack these insecurities as they learn to integrate into their institutions. In gaining a wider perspective and learning more about their higher education opportunities, socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural and social capital, and college admission process, these students are able to participate more in risk-minimizing strategies. Successful students practically develop a better understanding and more calculated view of the college experience and a skill set that comes along with that.

These two articles focused on the journey of urban students working with grassroots and outreach programs from their public school to college and eventually post graduation. The first article offers an in-depth insight of a precollege preparation program and how it alleviates various barriers for a student to succeed from urban ed to higher ed, with a focus of getting the student into college. The second article examines a more personal journey for the student, analyzing various survival tactics and how they navigate through college once they get in. In reading the two different research perspectives that approach higher education for urban students, I acknowledged a message that emphasizes the impact of increasing social, cultural, and political capital through these programs. Furthermore, these programs have a focus on empowering their students by helping them develop a skill set to navigate through the bureaucracies of higher education to reach resources and a sense of entitlement necessary to thrive in college and eventually become the agents of change for their home communities. Finally, despite the positive results of precollege programs and the successes of students who develop their own safety nets, the two research acknowledges the structural policy changes necessary to alleviate inequalities in urban education.