Capital Gains: Examining the Forms of Capital High and Low-Income Families Use in Pursuit of High School Admissions in New York City

• In Event: Navigating and Negotiating Choice in Competitive Educational Marketplaces

Abstract

This paper explores how high and low income families in New York City participate in the mandatory high school choice policy, focusing specifically on the forms of capital that they have access to and employ in pursuit of information and admission to high school. Building on the classic Bourdieusian (1986) forms of capital, along with Yosso’s (2005) notion of community cultural wealth, we classify the distinct types of capital that diverse families activate in the process of pursuing high school placements. We also consider the implications of the uneven distribution of the most “valuable” forms of capital among families of distinct socio-economic, linguistic, and racial/ethnic backgrounds in terms of the equity potential of school choice policies.

Authors

• Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education

• Jennifer Jennings, Princeton University

• Abbey Keener, Teachers College, Columbia University