The Chicago Post-Secondary Transition Project

What are the roles of social supports, expectations, and guidance in shaping students’ aspirations and college-going patterns? To what extent is there evidence that high school environments matter for these outcomes? What does it mean for urban students to be prepared for college, and how do the rigor and content of students’ coursework, broader academic experience, and prior knowledge of college shape their college performance? This project examines how school environment, academic and social preparation, gender, race, information access, and concrete college support influence college outcomes for urban minority students. The principal investigator will interview 11th grade students from three high schools and continue interviews until two years after graduation. This qualitative work is embedded within a larger, longitudinal study using school records and surveys. The researcher will also observe students’ high school and college classrooms, interview teachers, and collect student assessments from teachers.