Measuring College-Going Cultural Capital of Urban High School Seniors in a Voluntary College Preparatory Program

A mixed methods evaluative case study approach using an advocacy lens was used in this study to measure the college-going cultural capital of students actively involved in a college-preparatory program (active case), as compared to those who were not (passive case). Both similar and differing perspectives regarding academic and non-academic programmatic benefits were recognized between active and passive cases. From student responses in focus group interviews, distinct differences in program impact emerged between the two cases. The active case was able to articulate more frequently both academic and non-academic characteristics that are indicative of college-going cultural capital, such as participation in challenging coursework, as well as involvement in extracurricular activities and community service.