Status Pathways for High Achieving Black and Latinx Youth

Black and Latinx students are often regarded as an aside in research on transitions to postsecondary education and work. When they are centered, much of this literature focuses on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged youth and emphasizes their purported deficiencies. Few scholars have attempted to compare high achieving African Americans and Latinxs to Whites. Sociologist Tomeka Davis will examine the arc of high-achieving Black and Latinx students beginning in high school and throughout early adulthood. She will investigate the following questions: 1) What do racial disparities in educational attainment and early labor market outcomes look like for high achieving students? 2) What are the “intervening mechanisms” that help or hinder Black and Latinx youth compared to White youth as they matriculate through high school and college and enter the labor market?