Human and Social Capital in Urban Public Schools

• In Event: Professional Capital: A New Agenda to Transform Teaching in Every School

Abstract

Objectives: In this presentation we will describe our cross-level research on teacher human and social capital and their effects on student achievement outcomes. In essence, we find that the strength and density of ties among teachers (social capital) is a significant predictor of subsequent student achievement gains. At the same time, teacher experience in the classroom and knowledge regarding effective teaching (human capital) are also significant predictors. The cross-level analysis shows interaction effects of human and social capital on student achievement. Students of high-ability teachers who are also nested in teacher teams with strong ties performed significantly better. Low-ability teachers, conversely, benefit most from network density rather than tie strength.

Theoretical Framework: There has been little systematic application of organization theory to educational reform and public policy. We apply the theory of social capital to public schools, arguing that social capital among teachers (i.e., the strength of instrumental ties between teachers) will significantly explain subsequent student achievement. We also argue that social capital and human capital interact in their effects on student achievement.

Methods: We empirically examine human and social capital at both the level of the individual teacher and the level of the grade team, examining cross-level effects on the performance of each teacher’s classroom of students. Thus, the data are cross-level in that students are nested within classrooms, classrooms (and the associated teachers) are nested within grade-level teams, and these teams are nested within schools.
Data Sources: Survey data were collected from 5,205 teachers in 199 elementary schools in a large urban school district in the northeastern United States. We also collected individual-level student achievement data (standardized tests administered by the state) from all 4 two-year period in each of these teachers’ classrooms.
Results: We analyze the data using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) techniques and find significant main effects for both human and social capital. Moreover, we find the interaction effects as predicted.

Significance: Our findings contribute to theory and research by demonstrating the significance of social capital as a driver of teacher effectiveness and student achievement gains. While there has been a good deal of research and public policy attention devoted to teacher human capital, there has been relatively little attention to the value of social capital. Our research findings argue for a reversal of this narrow approach and instead argue for policies and practices that encourage the development of both human and social capital to enhance teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

Authors

• Carrie R. Leana, University of Pittsburgh

• Frits Pil, University of Pittsburgh