This article presents a study that investigated factors that distinguish high school students who completed at least one course beyond Algebra 2 from those who completed a course in Algebra 2 or less. The sample included a cohort of 11,909 high school seniors who participated in the Educational Longitudinal Study 2002–2004. Data were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression and results indicated that student expectations, parent aspirations, race, and socioeconomic status were among the most significant predictors. Implications for school counselors are discussed.
AdelmanC. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor's degree attainment. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
3.
AdelmanC. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
4.
AlexanderK., RiordanC., FennesseyJ., & PallasA. M. (1982). Social background, academic resources and college graduation: Recent evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey.American Journal of Education, 90, 315–333.
5.
American School Counselor Association. (1997). Executive summary: The national standards for school counseling programs.Alexandria, VA: Author.
6.
American School Counselor Association. (2005). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
7.
AttewellP., & DominaT. (2008). Raising the bar: Curricular intensity and academic performance.Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30, 51–71.
8.
BaeY., ChoyS., GeddesS., SableJ., & SnyderT. (2000). Trends in gender equity for men and women (NCES 2000-030). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
9.
CampbellC., & DahirC. (1997). Sharing the vision: The national standards for school counseling programs.Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.
10.
CavanaghS. E., SchillerK. S., & Riegle-CrumbC. (2006). Marital transitions, parenting, and schooling: Exploring the link between family-structure history and adolescents’ academic status.Sociology of Education, 79, 329–354.
11.
CrosnoeR. & HustonA. C. (2007). Socioeconomic status, schooling, and the developmental trajectories of adolescents.Developmental Psychology, 43, 1097–1110.
12.
DeLeireT. C., & KalilA. (2002). Good things comes in threes: Single-parent multigenerational family structure and adolescent adjustment.Demography, 39, 393–413.
13.
Education Trust. (1997). Working definition of school counseling.Washington, DC: Author.
14.
FreemanC. (2004). Trends in gender equity for girls and women (NCES 2005-016). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
15.
FryR. (2007). How far behind in math and reading are English language learners?Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center.
16.
GlasserW. (1998). Using choice theory in the classroom.New York: Harper Collins.
17.
GlasserW. (2002). Unhappy teenagers: A way for parents and teachers to reach them.New York: Harper Collins.
HillM. S., YeungW. J., & DuncanG. J. (2001). Childhood family structure and young adult behaviors.Journal of Population Economics, 14, 271–299.
20.
IngelsS. J., PrattP. J., RogersJ. E., & SiegelP. H. (2005). Education Longitudinal Study of 2002/2004: Base-year to first follow-up data file documentation (NCES 2006-344). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
21.
IngelsS. J., PrattD. J., RogersJ. E., SiegelP. H., & StuttsE. S. (2004). Education Longitudinal Study of 2002: Base-year data file user's manual (NCES 2004-405). Jessup, MD: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.
22.
JodlK. N., MichaelA., MalanchukO., EcclesJ. S., & SameroffA. (2001). Parents’ roles in shaping early adolescents; occupational aspirations.Child Development, 72, 1247–1265.
Ladson-BillingsG. (1997). It doesn't add up: African-American students’ mathematics achievement.Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28, 697–708.
25.
LippmanL., GuzmanL., DombrowskiK. J., KinukawaA., SchwalbR., & TiceP. (2008). Parent expectations and planning for college: Statistical analysis report (NCES 2008-079). Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences.
26.
LucasS. R. (1999). Tracking inequality: Stratification and mobility in American high schools.New York: Teachers College Press.
27.
MarkowD., & BagnaschiK. (2005). What American teens & adults know about economics. A report prepared for the National Council of Economic Education. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from http://www.ncee.net
28.
National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk.Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
29.
NorusisM. J. (2004). SPSS 13.0 Advanced statistical procedures companion.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
30.
OsokoyaI. O. (2005). Home variables as correlates of senior secondary students’ achievement in history.Research in Education, 73, 99–100.
31.
QianZ., & BlairS. L. (1999). Racial/ethnic differences in educational aspirations of high school seniors.Sociological Perspectives, 42, 605–625.
32.
PascarellaE. T., PiersonC. T., WolniakG. C., & TerenziniP. T. (2004). First-generation college students. Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes.Journal of Higher Education, 75, 249–284.
33.
Riegle-CrumbC. (2006). The path through math: Course sequences and academic performance at the intersection of race-ethnicity and gender.American Journal of Education, 113, 101–122.
34.
RiehlC., PallasA., & NatrielloG. (1999). Rites and wrongs: Institutional explanations for the student course-scheduling process in urban high schools.American Journal of Education, 107, 116–154.
35.
SchillerK. S., Khmelkov, & WangX. (2002). Economic development and the effects of family characteristics on mathematics achievement.Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 730–742.
36.
SinkC. A., & StrohR. (2006). Practical significance: The use of effect sizes in school counseling research.Professional School Counseling, 9, 401–411.
37.
StedmanJ. B., & JordanK. F. (1986). Education reform reports: Content and impact (Report #86-56EPW, pp. 12–41). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.
38.
TeachmanJ. (2003). Childhood living arrangements and the formation of co-residential unions.Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 507–524.
39.
ThompsonG. (2009, March 15). Where education and assimilation collide.New York Times, pp. A1, A21-23.
40.
TrustyJ. (2002). Effects of high-school course-taking and other variables on choice of science and mathematics college majors.Journal of Counseling and Development, 80, 464–474.
41.
TrustyJ., & NilesS. G. (2003). High-school math courses and completion of the bachelor's degree.Professional School Counseling, 7, 99–107.
42.
U.S. Department of Education. (1995). High school and beyond: 1992 restricted data file (NCES 95361). Washington, DC: Author.
43.
U.S. Department of Education. (2002). NELS: 88/2000 public use data files and electronic codebook: Base-year through fourth follow-up (NCES 2002322). Washington, DC: Author.
44.
U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002/04 data files and electronic codebook system, base-year (NCES 2004-404). Washington, DC: Author.
45.
U.S. Department of Education. (2006a). Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002/04 data files and electronic codebook system, base-year, first follow-up, high school transcripts (NCES 2006-351). Washington, DC: Author.
46.
U.S. Department of Education. (2006b). Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002/04 data files and electronic codebook system, first follow-up (NCES 2006-346). Washington, DC: Author.
47.
XieY., & ShaumanK. (2003). Women in science: Career processes and outcomes.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
