College-Ready

Preparing Black and Latina/o Youth for Higher Education-- A Culturally Relevant Approach

This book will support teachers, counselors, and administrators in creating a culturally relevant, school-wide, college-going culture to improve educational experiences and outcomes for Black and Latina/o youth. The authors present the perspectives and experiences of 25 students, focusing on the complexities of their daily lives and illuminating some of the significant influences that have supported or hindered their college readiness and access. They situate issues of college access in a national context, provide insight into who and what influences youth's college-going processes, and engage readers in critical analysis to create culturally relevant policies and practices within their own school contexts.

Book Features:

• Important research findings of a four-year study in a public high school with critical reflection questions.
• Links between culturally relevant pedagogy and college readiness and access.
• “Teacher Responses” that connect the contents of each chapter to the author's experience working with youth.
• “Reading in Action” sections for professional development with individuals, small groups of educators, and whole school communities

Michelle G. Knightis an associate professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a former middle-school teacher and high school college advisor.Joanne E. Marcianois a doctoral candidate and research associate at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a high school English teacher.

“College-Readybrings courage and a bold urgency to the discussion of college readiness for children who have been written off by too many educators, administrators, and in some cases their own parents.... I urge all who are concerned about the educational well being of both Latino/a and African American youth to read this book.”

—From the Foreword byRonald S. Rochon, University of Southern Indiana

Advance Praise for College-Ready—

“I am mightily impressed. This is one of the few studies to jointly address educational issues of African American and Latina/o youth. Knight and Marciano show how a culturally responsive pedagogy, considered broadly and systemically in terms of creating a pipeline to college, serves to create a powerful context for student and teacher development.”

—Luis C. Moll, University of Arizona, Language, Reading, and Culture

“Rarely do we hear the voices of administrators, counselors, teachers, researchers, and youth from underrepresented groups and their families on what the college-going process means.... This work is a masterpiece as it positions Black and Latina/o youth and their families as contributors of knowledge.”

—Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis, University of New Mexico, Bilingual and Mathematics Education

“At a time when career readiness is emphasized more than college readiness for too many Black and Brown students in U.S. schools, Knight and Marciano demand that policymakers and educators make college a viable option for all students. Anyone interested in and committed to educational equity should read this book. This book convicts as it inspires!”

—H. Richard Milner IV, Vanderbilt University, Teaching and Learning

“The authors suggest creative new directions for policies and practices supporting students' high achievement, embracing their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and raising critical questions to consider in creating culturally relevant college-going structures in our nation's schools.”

—Chance W. Lewis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Urban Education