ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses critical race theory (CRT) to explain the complicated interactions between African American students’ decision-making and the institutional and structural components, impacted by issues of race, which influence their college choice process. CRT helps us to unpack how issues of race and racism are manifested in various aspects of education and how these issues allow or deny students opportunities for success. CRT in education has several tenets, or constructs, that scholars use to examine how institutional, political, and social contexts impact structured learning environments and student outcomes. In the college choice literature, researchers often identify students by their parents’ levels of college education. Counter-stories of African American students and parents explain how students navigate issues of race and socioeconomic status to select higher education institutions to fit students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. Demographic data pertaining to parental education levels and socioeconomic status were captured in both the student and PI protocols.
