 While stories of working-class and minority students overcoming obstacles to attend and graduate from college tend to emphasize the individualistic and meritocratic aspect, this book - based in extensive empirical study of American high school classrooms, and in theories of social and cultural capital - examines the social relations that often underpin such successes, highlighting the significant formal and informal academic interventions by educators and other education professionals.

Working-Class Minority Students' Routes to Higher Education

For many students, making their way to higher education requires more than hard work and determination. Low-income minority students who overcome obstacles to achieve academic success have usually encountered at least one college-educated adult in their schooling who took the initiative to reach out to them and provide concrete academic guidance.

In this book, sociologist Roberta Espinoza introduces the idea of “pivotal moments”—interventions that point the way toward college, particularly for 

Pivotal Moments: How Educators Can Put All Students on the Path to College

Loyola Marymount University is a top-ranked national university by U.S. News and World Report, which places LMU among the top six Jesuit universities in the country and in the top six private universities in California. Founded in 1911, LMU is a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university with more than 7,100 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. LMU offers 56 undergraduate majors and 56 minor programs, along with 46 master’s degree programs, three doctorate programs and 12 credential/authorization programs. LMU’s intercollegiate athletics teams compete in the West Coast Conference with 14 Division I varsity sports.

LMU news and events are found at: www.lmu.edu/news.

Loyola Marymount University

Roberta Espinoza is a professor of sociology at Loyola Marymount University. Her scholarship focuses on Latinx/e, undocumented, deported, immigrant, and other racially and ethnically minoritized populations, examining how educational institutions and broader social structures shape academic achievement, social mobility, civic engagement, and social integration. Espinoza previously served as LMU’s Vice Provost for Global-Local Initiatives and Affairs and Associate Provost for International Programs and Partnerships.

Roberta Espinoza

Loyola Marymount University

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Biography

Education

University of California at Berkeley

University of California at Berkeley

Pomona College

Areas of Expertise