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Abstract
Life course scholarship considers how institutional contexts, such as schools, influence adolescent development. Likewise, educational scholars examine how high school experiences influence nonacademic life course outcomes. This study connects these disparate research areas to determine how high school curricular tracks relate to racial/ethnic differences in welfare dynamics. Using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) data, the author finds that college preparatory coursework provides greater benefits to White women than to Black and Latina women in helping them avoid early welfare receipt. This benefit accrues largely through lowering their chances of dropping out of high school. Theoretical implications and relevance to the current policy environment are discussed.
Notes
This research was supported by a grant from the American Educational Research Association that receives funds for its AERA Grants Program from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (U.S. Department of Education) and the National Science Foundation under NSF Grant #REC-9980573. The Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Institute at the University of Arizona also provided financial support for the development of this project. Opinions reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting agencies. The author thanks Richard Arum, Karen Christopher, Paula England, Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, Linda Renzulli, and Nella Van Dyke for helpful feedback on this research.