The Journey Before Us: First-Generation Pathways from Middle School to College

Laura Nichols

Published by Rutgers University Press 2020

The Journey Before Us

First-Generation Pathways from Middle School to College

Laura Nichols

In the series Critical Issues in American Education

https://doi.org/10.36019/9781978805668

Overview
Contents

About this book

More students are enrolling in college than ever before in U.S. history. Yet, many never graduate. In The Journey Before Us, Laura Nichols examines why this is by sharing the experiences of aspiring first-generation college students as they move from middle-school to young adulthood. By following the educational trajectories and transitions of Latinx, mainly second-generation immigrant students and analyzing national data, Nichols explores the different paths that students take and the factors that make a difference. The interconnected role of schools, neighborhoods, policy, employment, advocates, identity, social class, and family reveal what must change to address the “college completion crisis.” Appropriate for anyone wanting to understand their own educational journey as well as students, teachers, counselors, school administrators, scholars, and policymakers, The Journey Before Us outlines what is needed so that education can once again be a means of social mobility for those who would be the first in their families to graduate from college.

Author / Editor information

Laura Nichols is an associate professor of sociology at Santa Clara University in California. She is the co-editor of Undocumented and In College: Students and Institutions in a Climate of National Hostility.

Reviews

"This book should appeal to researchers in the fields of the sociology of education, as it contributes to the literature on Latinos and first-generation college students. This is an important text, as it highlights the barriers FGC students confront, in spite of institutional efforts to mitigate the effects of those transitions."

— Journal of Latinos and Education

The Chronicle of Higher Education 'Selected New Books on Higher Education' round-up
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Selected-New-Books-on-Higher/247906

— Chronicle of Higher Education

“In this approachable yet informative work, Laura Nichols explores why first-generation students struggle to remain on the journey toward college enrollment and completion. This thoroughly-researched book is very impressive!”

— Susan A. Dumais, Lehman College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York

"'The Journey Before Us' - Author describes her book on first-generation students" by Scott Jaschik

— Inside Higher Education

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: “Trying to Do School” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Paths Diverged: Student Outcomes by College Generational Status Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
2. Being a Transitional Generation and Navigating Schools Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	26
3. Middle and High School Transitions and Experiences on the Path to College Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	48
4. College Transitions: Five Paths Post–High School Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
5. Smoothing Pathways from Middle School to College Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	96
6. The Journey Before Us: First-Generation College Students and College Completion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
Appendix: Methodology and Researcher Positionality Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	149
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	167
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179