When Job Training Is Not Enough: The Cultivation of Social Capital in Career-Oriented Academies

• In Event: 58.078 - What Is Enough? Social Capital and Equality of Educational Opportunities

Abstract

Although career-oriented academies have become increasingly prominent in American secondary education, our understanding of these academies is limited by a paucity of research about the factors that make them viable and effective. This qualitative, extended case study of teachers, administrators, and students within an urban school district highlights distinctive features that enable career-oriented academies to provide valuable job-related experiences and improve student engagement. Employing the theoretical framework of social capital, the findings emphasize the importance of “boundary spanners” who have the ability to maintain relationships between industry and educational institutions, “bounded solidarity” that facilitates an exchange of resources within the academy, and the “information potential” of the academy as multi-year relationships enable academic and personal support for students.

Authors

• Michael Lanford, University of Southern California

• Tattiya Maruco, University of Southern California