Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT and College Enrollment

Cross-national research finds that “shadow education”—educational activities outside of formal schooling—tends to confer advantages on already privileged students. Shadow education in the United States, such as test prep for college entrance exams, has received considerably less attention. Drawing o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 2010-12, Vol.89 (2), p.435-461
Main Authors: Buchmann, Claudia, Condron, Dennis J., Roscigno, Vincent J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advantaged
Class
Classes, stratification, mobility
College admission
College admissions
College board
College Entrance Examinations
College Students
Colleges
Colleges & universities
Comparative Education
Costs
Economic aspects
EDUCATION
Education systems
Educational activities
Educational Mobility
Educational planning
Educational Quality
Enrollment
Enrollments
Ethnicity
Family background
Forecasts and trends
High School Graduates
High School Students
Income distribution
Influence
Learning
Longitudinal Studies
Market trend/market analysis
Mobility
Outcomes of Education
Parental education
Parents
Participation
R&D
Racial Differences
Research & development
SAT (College Admission Test)
SAT assessment
School enrollment
Schooling
Scores
Social aspects
Social Class
Social classes
Social Inequality
Social organization. Social system. Social structure
Social Stratification
Sociology
Sociology of education. Educational systems. Lifelong education
Standardized tests
Students
Test Coaching
Test Preparation
Tutoring
U.S.A
United States
United States of America
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Description
Summary:Cross-national research finds that “shadow education”—educational activities outside of formal schooling—tends to confer advantages on already privileged students. Shadow education in the United States, such as test prep for college entrance exams, has received considerably less attention. Drawing on the National Education Longitudinal Study, we analyze the likelihood of participation in, and the implications of, SAT preparation. Social class inequalities in test preparation, particularly costly SAT courses and private tutoring, are notable and have at least moderate consequences for SAT scores and selective college enrollment. We also find racial/ethnic variations in the use of test preparation. We consider the implications of these findings for understanding shadow education, stratification and educational mobility in the United States.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1353/sof.2010.0105