Publisher's Synopsis
In industrialized countries, students' pathways through school to work have been described as an "academic pipeline." Democracies hold an ideal of access to educational opportunites by choice and advancement by merit, but in reality, as students move through primary and secondary school to college, the numbers of ethnic minority and low-income youth in the academic pipeline shrink. This special double issue addresses the academic pipeline problem by focusing on three key themes: (a) involving all families in their children's schooling; (b) identifying ways the academic pipeline can be kept open for diverse students; and (c) helping students bridge their worlds of families, peers, schools, and communities. This volume contributes to both policy and practice in local, state, and national settings where concerns for making diversity work are at the top of schools' and youth organizations' agendas.