This study regressed undergraduate grades on background traits, pre-college variables, and measures of sociocultural capital for nationally representative samples of African American and Latino male undergraduates using data from the NCES’s National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/00). Results suggest that African American and Latino males differ significantly on measures of social and cultural capital, thereby challenging normative assumptions that all racial/ethnic minorities are equal. Additionally, achievement prior to college matters most for Latino males while African American males reap significant benefits from their socioeconomic standing and involvement during college. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are highlighted.

Summer bridge programs (SBPs) are increasingly popular in higher education as a strategy for helping students prepare for college, yet empirical studies in this area have remained largely descriptive and in short supply. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of SBP participation on preparation for college in four areas: academic self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and academic and social skills. Survey data from a SBP cohort were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. Results suggest that SBP participation positively affects specific academic skills (e.g., use of technology, interpreting syllabus) and academic self-efficacy. Positive beliefs about one’s academic skills and precollege aptitude also positively predict first-semester grades in college, explaining approximately 30% of the variance in first-semester GPA. Implications for further research, federal and institutional policy, and educational practice are highlighted.

The present study estimated the influence of academic and social collegiate experiences on Latino students' sense of belonging, controlling for background differences, using hierarchical analysis techniques with a nested design. In addition, results were compared between Latino students and their White counterparts. Findings reveal that grades, time spent studying, and interactions with diverse peers affect sense of belonging, accounting for approximately 11% of Latino students' belonging. Differences were found between Latino and White students. Important implications are discussed. n: El presente estudio estimó la influencia de experiencias sociales y académicas en el sentido de pertenencia de estudiantes latinas/os; se controlaron las diferencias étnicas, usando técnicas de análisis jerárquico con un diseño de nido. Además los resultados se compararon entre estudiantes latinas/os con su contraparte de estudiantes blancos. Los hallazgos revelan que las calificaciones, el tiempo usado en estudiar, y las relaciones con compañeros diversos afectan el sentido de pertenencia; lo cual representó aproximadamente 11% del sentido de pertenencia de los estudiantes latinas/os. Se encontraron diferencias entre estudiantes blancos y latinas/os. Se discuten implicaciones importantes.