Journal of School Leadership Volume 24—January 2014 189 TERAH T. VENZANT CHAMBERS KRISTIN SHAWN HUGGINS The Influence of School Factors on Racial Opportunity Cost for High- Achieving Students of Color ABSTRACT: Previous work on racial opportunity cost—that is, the price that stu- dents of color pay in their pursuit of academic success—is extended here using organizational culture literature to more closely explore the interplay of school culture with the racial opportunity cost experienced by the study participants. Eighteen African American and Latina/o underclassmen at two elite private col- leges were interviewed about their experiences as high-achieving students of color in high school and college. Our analysis of the data revealed five interre- lated school factors that both alleviated and exacerbated students’ racial oppor- tunity cost. Findings regarding the critical influence of school culture on students’ experiences highlight the importance of school leaders creating supportive, whole school cultures to foster school engagement and academic achievement for all students. Nearly a decade after the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools continue to struggle to achieve equity and excellence for all stu- dents. Racial disparities in test score performance persist in schools across the United States (e.g., Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2009; Hanushek & Rivkin, 2009; Reardon & Galindo, 2009). School leaders nonetheless are charged with constructing conditions within their schools that meet the needs of all their students. These conditions are assumed to add value to the students as a whole and increase their human capital. Horace Mann, Thomas Jef- ferson, and John Dewey, among many others, advocated for widespread public education based on the human, social, and economic benefits of schooling and learning (Spring, 2006). However, in the “schooling” process, Address correspondence to Terah T. Venzant Chambers, PhD, Department of Educational Administration, Michigan State University, 433 Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824. E-mail: terah@msu.edu.