Overview

Increasingly, educational researchers and policy-makers are finding that extracurricular programs make a major difference in the lives of disadvantaged youth, helping to reduce the infamous academic attainment gap between white students and their black and Latino peers. Yet studies of these programs typically focus on how they improve the average academic performance of their participants, paying little attention to individual variation. Why Afterschool Matters takes a different approach, closely following ten Mexican American students who attended the same extracurricular program in California, then chronicling its long-term effects on their lives, from eighth grade to early adulthood. Discovering that participation in the program was life-changing for some students, yet had only a minimal impact on others, sociologist Ingrid A. Nelson investigates the factors behind these very different outcomes. Her research reveals that while afterschool initiatives are important, they are only one component in a complex network of school, family, community, and peer interactions that influence the educational achievement of disadvantaged students. Through its detailed case studies of individual students, this book brings to life the challenges marginalized youth en route to college face when navigating the intersections of various home, school, and community spheres. Why Afterschool Matters may focus on a single program, but its findings have major implications for education policy nationwide.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ingrid A. Nelson
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
Imprint:   Rutgers University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.315kg
ISBN:  

9780813584935

ISBN 10:   0813584930
Pages:   222
Publication Date:   08 December 2016
Recommended Age:   From 17 to 99 years
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface: Why Does College Matter?               Acknowledgments                                           1          Extracurricular Activities and Pathways to College   2          Theorizing Educational Success and Failure  3          Auxiliary Influence: “It Was Fun . . . But I Don’t Remember Much”            4          Distinguishable Influence: “It Helped Me Find My Way . . .”           5          Transformative Influence: “It Changed My Whole Life!”     6          The Differential Role of Extracurricular Activity Participation         Appendix A: Student Characteristics             Appendix B: Methodological Reflections      References                                                      Index

Reviews

"""Professor Nelson has written a valuable and unique contribution to the growing literature on the impact of out-of-school-time programs on the development of youth. Impressive and engaging, Why Afterschool Matters is a timely and important work."" -- Richard M. Lerner * Bergstrom Chair and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University * ""Why Afterschool Matters is a critical reminder to account for the structural conditions that shape the lived realities of youths in order to avoid reifying the myth that everyone can access higher education, if they simply work hard."" * American Journal of Sociology *"

Why Afterschool Matters is a critical reminder to account for the structural conditions that shape the lived realities of youths in order to avoid reifying the myth that everyone can access higher education, if they simply work hard. --American Journal of Sociology Professor Nelson has written a valuable and unique contribution to the growing literature on the impact of out-of-school-time programs on the development of youth. Impressive and engaging, Why Afterschool Matters is a timely and important work. --Richard M. Lerner Bergstrom Chair and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

Professor Nelson has written a valuable and unique contribution to the growing literature on the impact of out-of-school-time programs on the development of youth. Impressive and engaging, <i>Why Afterschool Matters</i>is a timely and important work. --Richard M. Lerner Bergstrom Chair and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

Professor Nelson has written a valuable and unique contribution to the growing literature on the impact of out-of-school-time programs on the development of youth. Impressive and engaging, Why Afterschool Matters is a timely and important work. --Richard M. Lerner Bergstrom Chair and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University

Author Information

INGRID A. NELSON is an assistant professor of sociology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. 

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