Why Afterschool Matters

Ingrid A. Nelson

Published by Rutgers University Press 2017

Why Afterschool Matters

Ingrid A. Nelson

In the series Rutgers Series in Childhood Studies

https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813584966

Overview
Contents

About this book

Increasingly, educational researchers and policy-makers are finding that extracurricular programs make a major difference in the lives of disadvantaged youth, helping to reduce the infamous academic attainment gap between white students and their black and Latino peers. Yet studies of these programs typically focus on how they improve the average academic performance of their participants, paying little attention to individual variation.

Why Afterschool Matters takes a different approach, closely following ten Mexican American students who attended the same extracurricular program in California, then chronicling its long-term effects on their lives, from eighth grade to early adulthood. Discovering that participation in the program was life-changing for some students, yet had only a minimal impact on others, sociologist Ingrid A. Nelson investigates the factors behind these very different outcomes. Her research reveals that while afterschool initiatives are important, they are only one component in a complex network of school, family, community, and peer interactions that influence the educational achievement of disadvantaged students.

Through its detailed case studies of individual students, this book brings to life the challenges marginalized youth en route to college face when navigating the intersections of various home, school, and community spheres. Why Afterschool Matters may focus on a single program, but its findings have major implications for education policy nationwide.

Author / Editor information

INGRID A. NELSON is an assistant professor of sociology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Reviews

"Professor Nelson has written a valuable and unique contribution to the growing literature on the impact of out-of-school-time programs on the development of youth. Impressive and engaging, Why Afterschool Matters is a timely and important work."

— Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom Chair and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

"Why Afterschool Matters is a critical reminder to account for the structural conditions that shape the lived realities of youths in order to avoid reifying the myth that everyone can access higher education, if they simply work hard."

— American Journal of Sociology

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface: Why Does College Matter? Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
1. Extracurricular Activities and Pathways to College Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Theorizing Educational Success and Failure Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
3. Auxiliary Influence: “It Was Fun . . . But I Don’t Remember Much” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
4. Distinguishable Influence: “It Helped Me Find My Way . . .” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	88
5. Transformative Influence: “It Changed My Whole Life!” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
6. The Differential Role of Extracurricular Activity Participation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
Appendix: Methodological Reflections Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195

Language: English
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 222
Keywords: school; public school; extra curricular; extracurricular; extracurricular program; participation; afterschool; community; peer; friends; students; youth; education; social life; parenting

eBook

Published: December 8, 2016
ISBN: 9780813584966