Black and Latinx adolescent boys from economically stratified communities face pervasive societal inequities and, therefore, deserve more responsive school supports to determine and actualize postsecondary pathways. For insights into how such students conceptualize their futures and their school’s role in facilitating this process, this ethnographic study investigated one urban school’s college-going culture and its impact on shaping what the author calls participants’ postsecondary future selves. This theoretical approach encompasses three domains: college (i.e., postsecondary education), career (i.e., post-college employment trajectory), and condition (i.e., expected financial stability, relational and familial prospects, future living arrangements, happiness, and joy). Implications suggest that college-going school practitioners widen supports so students can imagine and envision how college ambitions align with career and condition goals.
AchinsteinB.CurryM. W.OgawaR. T. (2015). (Re)labeling social status: Promises and tensions in developing a college-going culture for Latina/o youth in an urban high school. American Journal of Education, 121(3), 311–345. https://doi.org/10.1086/680407
2.
Anderson-LevittK. M. (2006). Ethnography. In GreenJ. L.CamilliG.MooreP. B. (Eds.), Handbook of complementary methods in educational research (pp. 279–298). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
3.
AuW. (2022). Unequal by design: High-stakes testing and the standardization of inequality (2nd ed.). Routledge.
4.
BasileV.LopezE. J. (2018). Assuming brilliance: A decriminalizing approach to educating African American and Latino boys in elementary school STEM settings. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 24(4), 361–379. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2018020378
5.
BroomsD. R. (2022). “I didn’t want to be a statistic”: Black males, urban schooling, and educational urgency. Race Ethnicity and Education, 25(3) 351–369. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1803821
6.
BrownW. T.JonesJ. M. (2004). The substance of things hoped for: A study of the future orientation, minority status perceptions, academic engagement, and academic performance of Black high school students. Journal of Black Psychology, 30(2), 248–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798403260727
7.
BryanJ.Farmer-HintonR.RawlsA.WoodsC. S. (2017). Social capital and college-going culture in high schools: The effects of college expectations and college talk on students’ postsecondary attendance. Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 1096–2409. https://doi.org/10.5330/1096-2409-21.1.95
8.
BryanJ.KimJ.LiuC. (2023). Black males and school counselors: Do they experience the culture in counseling programs and departments differently from Black females?Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 51(4), 233–254. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12282
9.
BurasK. L. (2014). Charter schools, race, and urban space: Where the market meets grassroots resistance. Routledge.
10.
CareyR. L. (2015). “Making our lives”: The contributions of urban high school cultures to the future selves of Black and Latino adolescent boys [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland]. https://doi.org/10.13016/M2005J
11.
CareyR. L. (2016). “Keep that in mind … You’re gonna go to college”: Family influence on the college going processes of Black and Latino high school boys. The Urban Review, 48, 718–742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-016-0375-8
12.
CareyR. L. (2018). “What am I gonna be losing?”: School culture and the family-based college going dilemmas of Black and Latino adolescent boys. Education and Urban Society, 50(3), 246–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124517713112
13.
CareyR. L. (2019). Am I smart enough? Will I make friends? And can I even afford it? Exploring the college going dilemmas of Black and Latino adolescent boys. American Journal of Education, 125(3), 381–415. https://doi.org/10.1086/702740
14.
CareyR. L. (2020). Seeking resistance and rupture in “the Wake”: Locating ripples of hope in the futures of Black boys. In GrantC.WoodsonA.DumasM. (Eds.) The future is Black: Afropessimism, fugitivity, and radical hope in education (pp. 89–94). Routledge.
15.
CareyR. L. (2021). Foregrounding family: How Salvadoran American boys interpret and formulate college-going mindsets at the nexus of family, school, and the self. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 52(3), 294–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/aeq.12372
16.
CareyR. L. (2022). Whatever you become, just be proud of it. Uncovering the ways families influence Black and Latino adolescent boys’ postsecondary future selves. Journal of Adolescent Research, 37(1). 59–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584211018450
17.
CareyR. L.PolancoC.BlackmanH. (2022). Black adolescent boys’ perceived school mattering: From marginalization and selective love to radically affirming relationships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32(1), 151–169. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12706
18.
CastilloE. (2020). A neoliberal grammar of schooling? How a progressive charter school moved toward market values. American Journal of Education, 126(4), 519–547. https://doi.org/10.1086/709513
19.
ChaviraG.CooperC. R.Vasquez-SalgadoY. (2016). Pathways to achievement: Career and educational aspirations and expectations of Latina/o immigrant parents and early adolescents. Journal of Latinos and Education, 15(3), 214–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2015.1131693
20.
ColemanS. T.DavisJ. (2020). Using asset-based pedagogy to facilitate STEM learning, engagement, and motivation for Black middle school boys. Journal of African American Males in Education (JAAME), 11(2), 76–94.
21.
ConleyD. T. (2017). The new complexity of readiness for college and careers. In Larsen McClartyK.MatternK. D.GaertnerM. N. (Eds.), Preparing students for college and careers (pp. 9–22). Routledge.
22.
CooperC. R. (2011). Bridging multiple worlds: Cultures, identities, and pathways to college. Oxford University Press.
23.
DesimoneL. M.StornaiuoloA.FloresN.PakK.EdgertonA.NicholsT. P.PlummerE. C.PorterA. (2019). Successes and challenges of the “new” college- and career-ready standards: Seven implementation trends. Educational Researcher, 48(3), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19837239
24.
DiemerM. A.BlusteinD. L. (2007). Vocational hope and vocational identity: Urban adolescents’ career development. Journal of Career Assessment, 15(1), 98–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072706294528
25.
DiMartinoC.JessenS. B. (2018). Selling school: The marketing of public education. Teachers College Press.
Farmer-HintonR. (2011). On being college prep: Examining the implementation of a “college for all” mission in an urban charter school. The Urban Review, 43(5), 567–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-010-0168-4
28.
GastM. J. (2022). Reconceptualizing college knowledge: Class, race, and Black students in a college-counseling field. Sociology of Education, 95(1), 43–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380407211046053
29.
Gibbs GreyT. (2022). Reppin’ and risin’ above: Exploring communities of possibility that affirm the college-going aspirations of Black youth. Urban Education, 57(7), 1177–1206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085918804020
30.
GoyetteK. A. (2008). College for some to college for all: Social background, occupational expectations, and educational expectations over time. Social Science Research, 37(2), 461–484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.02.002
31.
GrantC. A. (2012). Cultivating flourishing lives: A robust social justice vision of education. American Educational Research Journal, 49(5), 910–934. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831212447977
32.
GriffinK.AllenW. (2006). Mo’ money, mo’ problems? High-achieving Black high school students’ experiences with resources, racial climate, and resilience. The Journal of Negro Education, 478–494. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40026816
33.
HillN. E.LiangB.BravoD. Y.PriceM.PolkW.PerellaJ.Savitz-RomerM. (2018). Adolescents’ perceptions of the economy: Its association with academic engagement and the role of school-based and parental relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(5), 895–915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0802-5
34.
HinesE. M.MayesR. D.HarrisP. C.VegaD. (2023). Using a culturally responsive MTSS approach to prepare Black males for postsecondary opportunities. School Psychology Review, 52(3), 357–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.2018917
35.
HookerS.BrandB. (2010). College knowledge: A critical component of college and career readiness. New Directions for Youth Development, 2010(127), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.364
36.
HowardK. A.CarlstromA. H.KatzA. D.ChewA. Y.RayG. C.LaineL.CaulumD. (2011). Career aspirations of youth: Untangling race/ethnicity, SES, and gender. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.12.002
37.
HowardT. C. (2014). Black male(d): Peril and promise in the education of African American males. Teachers College Press.
38.
HowardT. C.FlennaughT.TunstallJ. (Eds.). (2016). Expanding college access for urban youth: What schools and colleges can do. Teachers College Press.
39.
HowardT. C.WoodwardB.NavarroO.HuertaA. H.HaroB. N.WatsonK. (2019). Renaming the narrative, reclaiming their humanity: Black and Latino males descriptions of success. Teachers College Record, 121(5), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811912100504
40.
HoudekM.PhillipsK. (2020). Rhetoric and the temporal turn: Race, gender, temporalities. Women’s Studies in Communication, 43(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1824501
41.
HuertaA. H.McDonoughP. M.AllenW. R. (2018). “You can go to college”: Employing a developmental perspective to examine how young men of color construct a college-going identity. The Urban Review, 50(5), 713–734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-018-0466-9
42.
JackmanD. M.MacPheeD. (2017). Self-esteem and future orientation predict adolescents’ risk engagement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 37(3), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431615602756
43.
JainD.HerreraA.BernalS.SolorzanoD. (2011). Critical race theory and the transfer function: Introducing a transfer receptive culture. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 35(3), 252–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2011.526525
44.
JohnsonM. K.CrosnoeR.ElderG. H.Jr. (2011). Insights on adolescence from a life course perspective. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 273–280. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00728.x
45.
KerpelmanJ. L.EryigitS.StephensC. J. (2008). African American adolescents’ future education orientation: Associations with self-efficacy, ethnic identity, and perceived parental support. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(8), 997–1008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9201-7
46.
KnightD. S.DuncheonJ. C. (2020). Broadening conceptions of a “college-going culture”: The role of high school climate factors in college enrollment and persistence. Policy Futures in Education, 18(2), 314–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210319860987
47.
Knight-ManuelM. G.MarcianoJ. E.WilsonM.JacksonI.VernikoffL.ZuckermanK. G.WatsonV. W. (2019). “It’s all possible”: Urban educators’ perspectives on creating a culturally relevant, schoolwide, college-going culture for Black and Latino male students. Urban Education, 54(1), 35–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916651320
48.
KolluriS. (2019). Reconsidering organizational habitus in schools: One neighborhood, two distinct approaches to advanced placement. Harvard Educational Review, 89(1), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-89.1.109
49.
LateefH.GaleA.JellesmaF.BorgstromE. (2023). “The belief to aspire”: The association between Afrocentric values in the educational and career aspirations of young Black males. The Urban Review, 1–16. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-023-00680-7
50.
LessingE. E. (1972). Extensions of personal future time perspective, age, and life satisfaction of children and adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 6(3), 457–468. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032576
51.
LincolnY. S. (1995). Emerging criteria for quality in qualitative and interpretive research. Qualitative Inquiry, 1(3), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049500100301
52.
LoveB. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.
53.
MarcianoJ. E.WatsonV. W.BeymerA.DerooM. R. (2020). Examining moments of possibility toward college readiness in a literacy-and-songwriting initiative. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(6), 615–626. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1049
MartinezE.Jr.CastellanosM. (2018). Catching them early: An examination of Chicano/Latino middle school boys’ early career aspirations. The Urban Review, 50(3), 378–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-017-0438-5
56.
MartinezE.Jr.HuertaA. H. (2020). Deferred enrollment: Chicano/Latino males, social mobility and military enlistment. Education and Urban Society, 52(1), 117–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124518785021
57.
MartinezM. A.LewisK.MarquezJ. (2020). College ready at a cost: Underrepresented students overwhelmed, scared, increasingly stressed, and coping. Education and Urban Society, 52(5), 734–758. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124519887713
58.
McCabeK.BarnettD. (2000). First comes work, then comes marriage: Future orientation among African American young adolescents. Family Relations, 49(1), 63–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00063.x
59.
McCardleT. (2020). Race tracks: Career aspirations and feelings of isolation in the mainstream classroom. Education and Urban Society, 52(2), 284–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124519846277
60.
MeansD. R. (2019). Crucial support, vital aspirations: The college and career aspirations of rural Black and Latinx middle school students in a community-and youth-based leadership program. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 35(1), 1–14.
61.
MeansD. R.ClaytonA. B.ConzelmannJ. G.BaynesP.UmbachP. D. (2016). Bounded aspirations: Rural, African American high school students and college access. The Review of Higher Education, 39(4), 543–569. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2016.0035
62.
MelloZ. R.WorrellF. C. (2015). The past, the present, and the future: A conceptual model of time perspective in adolescence. In StolarskiM.FieulaineN.van BeekW. (Eds.), Time perspective theory; Review, research and application: Essays in honor of Philip G. Zimbardo (pp. 115–129). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07368-2_7
63.
MerriamS. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
64.
MilnerH. R. (2007). Race, culture, and researcher positionality: Working through dangers seen, unseen, and unforeseen. Educational Researcher, 36(7), 388–400. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X07309471
65.
MirraN.GarciaA. (2022). Guns, schools, and democracy: Adolescents imagining social futures through speculative civic literacies. American Educational Research Journal, 59(2), 345–380. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312221074400
66.
NollL. A. (2022). Accountability and (in) congruence in a no-excuses school college-going culture. American Educational Research Journal, 59(1), 112–145. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312211057303
67.
NurmiJ. E. (1991). How do adolescents see their future? A review of the development of future orientation and planning. Developmental Review, 11(1), 1–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/0273-2297(91)90002-6
68.
O’ReillyK. (2008). Key concepts in ethnography. Sage.
69.
OysermanD. (2015). Pathways to success through identity-based motivation. Oxford University Press.
70.
OysermanD.FrybergS. A. (2006). The possible selves of diverse adolescents: Content and function across gender, race, and national origin. In DunkelC.KerpelmanJ. (Eds.), Possible selves: Theory, research, and application (pp. 17–39). Nova.
71.
PatelL. (2014). Countering coloniality in educational research: From ownership to answerability. Educational Studies, 50(4), 357–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2014.924942
72.
PatrónO. E. (2020). “The revolution begins at home”: Exploring educational aspirations between Latino male collegians and their families through a reciprocity of relationships. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(4), 446–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1681545
73.
PayneY. A.BrownT. M. (2010). The educational experiences of street-life-oriented Black boys: How Black boys use street life as a site of resilience in high school. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 26(3), 316–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986210368646
74.
PerryJ. C.VanceK. S. (2010). Possible selves among urban youths of color: An exploration of peer beliefs and gender differences. The Career Development Quarterly, 58(3), 257–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845316670032
75.
PoliteV. C.DavisJ. E. (Eds.). (1999). African American males in school and society: Practices and policies for effective education. Teachers College Press.
76.
PrinceD. M.EpsteinM.NuriusP. S.Gorman-SmithD.HenryD. B. (2019). Reciprocal effects of positive future expectations, threats to safety, and risk behavior across adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 48(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1197835
77.
Riegle-CrumbC.MooreC.Ramos-WadaA. (2011). Who wants to have a career in science or math? Exploring adolescents’ future aspirations by gender and race/ethnicity. Science Education, 95(3), 458–476. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20431
78.
RiosV. M.VigilJ. D. (2017). Human targets: Schools, police, and the criminalization of Latino youth. University of Chicago Press.
79.
Rosario-MooreA.ColarB. K. (2022). “Make sure we don’t lose who we are”: Young Black men navigating the college choice process at majority Black high schools. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.2047634
80.
RyffC. D.KeyesC. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719
81.
Savitz-RomerM.BouffardS. (2012). Ready, willing, and able: A developmental approach to college access and success. Harvard Education Press.
82.
SchneiderB. L.StevensonD. (1999). The ambitious generation: America’s teenagers, motivated but directionless. Yale University Press.
83.
SchofieldJ. W. (2002). Increasing the generalizability of qualitative research. In HubermanA. M.MilesM. B. (Eds.), The qualitative researcher’s companion (pp. 171–203). Sage Publications.
84.
ScottJ. (2009). The politics of venture philanthropy in charter school policy and advocacy. Educational Policy, 23(1), 106–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904808328531
85.
SeidmanI. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers College Press.
86.
SilvaJ. M.SnellmanK. (2018). Salvation or safety net? Meanings of “college” among working-and middle-class young adults in narratives of the future. Social Forces, 97(2), 559–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soy050
87.
SmetanaJ. G. (2010). Adolescents, families, and social development: How teens construct their worlds. John Wiley & Sons.
88.
SoS.Gaylord-HardenN. K.VoisinD. R.ScottD. (2018). Future orientation as a protective factor for African American adolescents exposed to community violence. Youth & Society, 50(6), 734–757. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X15605108
89.
SpencerG.de NovaisJ.Chen-BendleE. C.NdikaE. (2023). A dream deferred: Post- traditional college trajectories and the evolving logic of college plans. The Journal of Higher Education, 1–23. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2023.2216611
90.
StipanovicN.WooH. (2017). Understanding African American students’ experiences in STEM education: An ecological systems approach. The Career Development Quarterly, 65(3), 192–206. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12092
91.
StorlieC. A.AlbrittonK.CuretonJ. L.ByrdJ. A. (2019). African American and Latino male youth: Perceived strengths in career exploration. Journal of Counselor Practice, 10(2), 22–50. https://doi.org/10.22229/aal1022019
92.
TateW. F.IV (2008). “Geography of opportunity”: Poverty, place, and educational outcomes. Educational Researcher, 37(7), 397–411. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X08326409
93.
ToliverS. (2021). On mirrors, windows, and telescopes. Council Chronicle, 31(1), 29–30.
94.
VegaD.HinesE. M.MayesR. D.HarrisP. C. (2016). Preparing Latino students for life after high school: The important role of school counselors and school psychologists. National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Journal, 2(1), 70–82. https://doi.org/10.20429/nyarj.2016.020107
95.
WarrenC. A. (2017). Urban preparation: Young Black men moving from Chicago’s south side to success in higher education. Harvard Education Press.
96.
WelshR. O. (2022). Overlooked exclusionary discipline: Examining placement in alternative schools, expulsions, and referrals to hearing in an urban district. Educational Policy, 36(3), 550–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904820901481
97.
WeltonA. D.MartinezM. A. (2014). Coloring the college pathway: A more culturally responsive approach to college readiness and access for students of color in secondary schools. The Urban Review, 46(2), 197–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-013-0252-7
98.
WoodsonA. N.LoveB. L. (2019). Outstanding: Centering Black kids’ enoughness in civic education research. Multicultural Perspectives, 21(2), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2019.1606631
99.
XuD.RanF. X.FinkJ.JenkinsD.DundarA. (2018). Collaboratively clearing the path to a baccalaureate degree: Identifying effective 2- to 4-year college transfer partnerships. Community College Review, 46(3), 231–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552118772649
100.
YeagerD. S.BundickM. J. (2009). The role of purposeful work goals in promoting meaning in life and in schoolwork during adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24(4), 423–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558409336749
