The Role of Neighborhood Capital in Teenagers’ Education Outcomes

• In Event: The Dynamics of Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Schools and Neighborhoods

Abstract

Since the publication of W.E.B. Dubois’ (1996 [1899]) The Philadelphia Negro, scholars have conducted neighborhood studies to examine a range of social issues. This study continues the sociological tradition in order to examine cultural heterogeneity—a variety of cultural beliefs, traditions, values, behaviors, and/or language—as a neighborhood mechanism that influences teenagers’ education outcomes. The study finds that the neighborhood houses a surplus of cultural capital, ranging from dominant to non-dominant (Carter, 2007); however, access to and practice of the different forms varies. Throughout the paper, the author uses Bourdieu’s (1977) metaphor of life as a game to explain why teenagers—despite valuing the role of education—experience such an array of outcomes.

Author

• Randall F. Clemens, Saint John's University