"You're Supposed to Help Me": The Perils of Mass Counseling Norms for Working-Class Black Students. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gast, Melanie Jones
• Is Part Of: Urban education. Volume 56:Number 9(2021)
• Page Start: 1429
• Page End: 1455
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: high school -- college access -- urban education -- African American students -- school counselors -- social capital; Education, Urban -- Periodicals; Enseignement en milieu urbain -- Périodiques; Éducation; Milieu urbain; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 370.91732
• DOI: 10.1177/0042085916652178
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0042-0859

Abstract

How do educators reconcile the growing college-for-all norm—the notion that all students should pursue college—with the diverse needs of students in urban settings? What is the impact on Black students across social-class background? Using interviews and fieldwork with teachers, counselors, and diverse Black students in a large Californian high school, I examine college-counseling norms under a social capital framework. With high caseloads, I find that educators support mass outreach and vague encouragements for 4-year colleges. Ultimately, my findings problematize one-size-fits-all counseling norms and highlight the need for more targeted counseling for urban and working-class Black students.