Race, Gender, and Networks: How Teachers' Social Connections Structure Access to Job Opportunities in Districts With School Choice

• In Event: Teachers' Experiences in Highly Marketized Educational Contexts

Abstract

Research in sociology demonstrates the way social connections shape access to information about job opportunities. In education, teachers expand their social networks through substitute teaching, interacting with social leaders, and teacher-preparation programs. However, we understand less about how social networks impact the job process for marginalized teachers and in nontraditional labor markets. This study examines the how teachers in New Orleans and Detroit, cities with high concentrations of charter schools, use their networks, and how their experiences vary by race and gender. We find that there was an extensive reliance on social networks in the hiring process, but teachers had differential access to key social networks that can help to land jobs.

Authors

• Huriya Jabbar, The University of Texas at Austin

• Rachel Whitney Boggs, University of Texas - Austin