A comparison of factors determining the transition to postsecondary education in Toronto and Chicago

• Published in: Research in comparative and international education 2019-09, Vol.14 (3), p.338-356
• Main Authors: Robson, Karen, Anisef, Paul, Brown, Robert S., Nagaoka, Jenny
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: College Attendance; Comparative Education; Correlation; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Context; Educational History; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; High School Students; Longitudinal Studies; Personality Traits; Political Influences; Poverty; Racial Differences; Self Concept; Track System (Education); Two Year Colleges; Universities
• ISSN: 1745-4999; 1745-4999
• DOI: 10.1177/1745499919865140

We examine how race, sex and poverty contribute to the likelihood of attending two- and four-year colleges in Chicago and Toronto. In each city, we use longitudinal data on high school students and their postsecondary trajectories in order to explore how race and sex may impact differentially upon their educational pathways. Our analyses are informed by an intersectionality perspective, wherein we understand that life chances are shaped by the various traits and identities that individuals possess. In Toronto, Black males are less likely than all other groups to attend four-year colleges. We also find that two-year colleges appear to fulfill a different role in Toronto than they do in Chicago; that is, serving populations who may have been tracked into non-academic course selections in high school. We contextualize our findings within the very different political, cultural, and historical contexts of Ontario and Illinois.