ABSTRACT
Youth in low-income, culturally diverse, inner-city schools are at risk for low educational attainment, limited future career options, and severely reduced earnings potential (Education Trust, 2000; Hotchkiss & Borow, 1996; National Center for Education Statistics, 2001, 2004; U.S. Department of Education, 1996; U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2000). Yet evidence suggests that students who learn to effectively negotiate vocational development processes (e.g., identifying, exploring, and gaining knowledge about their occupational and educational interests, abilities, values, beliefs, options, and goals) also develop more positive academic motivation and skills for educational and occupational planning and achievement (Baker & Taylor, 1998; Evans & Burck, 1992; Lapan, Gysbers, & Petroski, 2001; Lapan, Gysbers, & Sun, 1997; Nelson & Gardner, 1998; Smith, 2000; Whiston & Sexton, 1998). Thus one approach to helping all students succeed-and in particular, reducing the educational and occupational achievement gap for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) youth in low-income urban schools-may be for counselors to facilitate effective career interventions in these schools.
