This year-long ethnographic study explored the occupational aspirations and informal educational experiences of 25 diverse homeless adolescents who found social welfare assistance through Empower, a nonprofit organization. Using organizational habitus and intersectionality as theoretical frameworks and constant comparative analysis, I found that…

We examined the relationships between high school CTE participation and indicators of career and college readiness using 2009 High School Longitudinal Study restricted-use data. Regression analyses of 2009-2018 data revealed significantly lower dropout rates for CTE participants, but only White CTE participants experienced better employment…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the narratives constructed by urban youth in a summer program for future educators of color. In particular, we asked, "In what ways do students use texts to create counternarratives of urban education?" Utilizing visual counternarratives and counterstorytelling as theoretical frames, and through…

The Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) scale was completed by 86 high school students of color prior to beginning a class focusing on motivating students to become interested in teaching. Findings based on confirmatory factor analysis support the underlying FIT-Choice scale factor structure reported in previous studies. Students'…

The academic achievement rates of urban Latino students are significantly lower than those of non-minority youth. To date, most of the research on this topic has focused on learning and motivational characteristics of underrepresented youth in elementary and middle school and much less on urban high schools. This study investigated variables…

The "Urban Teaching Barriers" survey was created to assess barriers to urban teaching careers. Pre-service teachers (N = 377) completed this instrument, along with questionnaires that assessed urban teaching intentions and urban teaching self-efficacy. Six barrier domains were identified that tapped concerns over (a) lack of resources,…

This study draws from a larger phenomenological study on African American academic persistence and career aspirations in education. This article highlights three African American males' experiences with concentrated forms of stereotype threat in teacher education. Their voices revealed dimensions of how power and privilege operate in teacher…

Through a Multiple Marginality Framework, this exploratory case study highlights how African American male youth in an urban high school setting perceive the opportunity structure during the historic election of the first African American President. Youth optimism generated by Obama's election gives students a sense of hope despite the persistent…

This article addresses teacher retention in urban schools, focusing on high-need secondary science classrooms. As a longitudinal study, this research investigated how eight case study teachers conceived of their careers and career moves. The experiences and perspectives of three case study teachers indicated that they were situated along a…

Results of this study indicate that the world views of Mexican Americans, blacks, and whites, and their educational and occupational aspirations for their children became more like each other between 1960 and 1971. (Author/AM)

Reports findings of a study which revealed that selected school principal interactions, aspirations, and nonverbal behaviors are predictors of school administrator potential for promotion in an urban school district. Describes the administrator subculture as clanlike and guildlike and asserts that this pattern plays a crucial role in determining…

Findings suggest that among Black high school seniors, there are no sex-related differences in aspirations and expectations for educational advancement. There are significant differences, however, in occupational goals and career values. These differences are not explained away when students' social class, academic aptitude, and community size are…

Examines the determinants of occupational and educational aspirations and expectations of adolescents. Dependent variables considered in the study included parents' occupational status and education, and students' grade level, sex, ethnicity, reading level, and knowledge of the work world. (Author/MW)

Examined the effects of representative literature on one black female graduate student as she focused her attention on the possibility of becoming a superintendent. Used the narratives of a black female superintendent to expand the understanding of issues facing black female aspirants to the superintendency. (SLD)