A volume in Research on African American EducationSeries Editors: Carol Camp Yeakey, Washington University in St. Louis
and Ronald D. Henderson, National Education Association
The book aims to develop a clearer understanding of the influence of social dynamics on
the educational opportunities of high school students of color in the urban setting of California's Los Angeles area. Specifically, we
examine how students' backgrounds, high school experiences and own agency shape their college preparation processes and
postsecondary aspirations. While some research has been done on high school students' college-choice process, this book is unique in
its broad and comparative approach. It examines the experiences of students across 10 schools, identifying broad themes that are
illustrated through specific case studies. This approach allows readers to understand the broader issues that face students from
underserved backgrounds as they pursue college, while illuminating how these issues uniquely manifest themselves in individual
school contexts.

Foreword, Beverly Daniel Tatum. Introduction: Understanding College Access and Opportunity for Black and Latina/o Students in California. The CHOICES Project: Methodology, Walter R. Allen, Ophella C. Dano, and Eden Brauer.; PART I: SCHOOL RESOURCES. Working With What You Have: College Preparation at a Low Resourced High School, Kimberly A. Griffin and Mindelyn Buford. More than What Money Can Buy: Students' Experiences with Race and Resource Allocation at a Well Resourced High School, Kimberly A. Griffin and Erin Kimura-Walsh. Helping Students Help Themselves?: The Paradox of High Expectations and Low Resources at an Urban Magnet High School, Gloria Gonzalez.; PART I I: RACIAL DYNAMICS. Structuring Opportunity: Tracking Students at a "Single-Track" High School, Michael Knox. Systems of Support: Home and School Contexts of Asian and Latina / o High School Students, Joshua S. Yang. "You're the Scholar - Please, Let Me Be One, Too": How Race Shapes Access to Institutional Resources at a Predominantly Black and Latina/o School, Faustina M. DuCros.; PART I I I: INTERS ECTION OF RACE AND CLASS. Southeast Asian Educational Mobility: Ethnicity, Social Capital, and the Pursuit of Higher Education, Robert T. Teranishi and Tu-Lien Kim Nguyen. Bridges or Barriers?: The Influence of Family Background, Finances, Peers, High School and Outreach Programs on Latina/o Students' College Preparatory Process, Erin Kimura-Walsh. From Suburban to Urban: The Influence of Busing Policy on the Educational Context and Student Outcomes of a Suburban High School, Kimberly A. White-Smith. When Cultures Clash: Transposing a College-Going Culture in an Urban School, Bryan A. Brown, Cheryl A. Brown, and Uma M. Jayakumar.; PART IV: PROMISING PRACTICES. AVID: Providing a Different Atmosphere to Promote College Access, Ray Franke, Jaime Rodriguez, Rican Vue, and Maria Woodruff. Maintaining Culture and Community: The Quest for Academic Success at Superior High School, Tyrone C. Howard and Raina Dyer-Barr. Conclusions and Implications. Afterword, Gary Orfield.