Barriers to Advanced Placement for Latino Students at the High-School Level

Abstract

In order to gain a better understanding about Latino student underrepresentation in advanced placement (AP) coursework, this investigation explored the factors that inhibit and/or encourage Latino student enrollment in AP coursework at one suburban public high school in the Western United States. Latino high-school students and their parents participated in focus-group interviews after school hours in the school library. Inductive and constructive analysis of interview transcripts revealed that peer relations and parental support were primary determining factors of Latino student underrepresentation in AP coursework at the participating high school. Recommendations for policy and practice development focused on improving communication, building community, forging positive-peer relations, and engaging student success motivation.

Keywords:

• advanced placement
• critical qualitative research
• multiculturalism
• multipotentiality
• parental support
• social justice
• underachievement
• underrepresentation

Notes

Although Susan A. Walker (as the owner of the research idea and the lead coordinator for this research) is named first as the primary author, Laura D. Pearsall is the primary writer-author and contact for this article.