ABSTRACT
Many high school graduates having the academic ability to continue their schooling do not pursue higher education. This phenomenon has been referred to as talent loss. The challenges involved in financing higher education partially contribute to talent loss and its pervasiveness among poor students, but they fall short of providing a complete explanation. This chapter explores other possible sources of talent loss. The authors use multiple methodologies to examine critical sources of talent loss among students who perform well academically, but are placed at risk of academic failure because they also are from low SES families. Drawing from national panel data as well as eight in-depth interviews with guidance counselors from an urban school district, the authors suggest that social capital, operationalized as the interactions and exchanges between students and significant adults in their schools and families, exposure to a high content curriculum, and the availability of school resources all play a part in determining postsecondary trajectories.
