High Achieving African American Students and the College Choice Process

Thandeka K. Chapman is Associate Professor in the Education Studies Department at the University of California San Diego, US.Frances Contreras is Associate Professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego and Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, US.Eddie Comeaux is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of California, Riverside, US.Eligio Martinez Jr. is Clinical Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, US.Gloria M. Rodriguez is Associate Professor at the University of California, Davis School of Education, US.

• Acknowledgements List of Figures and TablesPreface by Thandeka K. ChapmanForward by Walter R. AllenChapter 1. Introduction: The Status of African Americans in Postsecondary EducationChapter 2. Critical Race Theory, Mixed Methods, and a Conceptual Model of African American High Achievers’ College Choice ProcessChapter 3. What Makes a Student a High-Achiever? A Profile of African American Students’ Academic Preparation and Planning for CollegeChapter 4. The Strongest System of African American Student Support: The Influences of Family and Kinship Ties Chapter 5. Opportunity to Enroll: The Roles of Counselors and Teachers in African American Student College ChoiceChapter 6. Diversity as Resource, Recruitment, and Retention: Institutional and Structural Factors Influencing Diversity in Higher Education Chapter 7. Complexities of Cost: Navigating Affordability in the College Choice ProcessChapter 8. Addressing Issues of Race and Racism in the College Choice Process

"This book is based on a mixed-methods study conducted by staff from various campuses of the University of California to determine why high-achieving African American students accepted by that system chose to go elsewhere. It seeks to determine how various factors contribute to college choice, and to provide policy recommendations to enhance the capacity of more selective public universities. The book closes with strategies designed to increase campus diversity, suggesting that more competitive campuses be more proactive in recruiting these students, particularly in environments where affirmative action is not a factor."--D. E. Williams, emeritus, Uiniversity of Akron, Choice