The Role of Social Capital in Rural U.S. Educational Attainment

• In Event: Perspectives on Social Capital in K–12 and Higher Educational Contexts

Abstract

This paper offers critical commentary and study findings which foster much needed discussion on rurality and education. It utilizes Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of social capital to detail how rural students’ current forms of social capital (or lack thereof) in their tight-knit communities affects their educational attainment. The paper draws hard lines between issues of access and accountability in rural locales (i.e., especially pertaining to higher education aspirations and opportunities) and argues citizens residing in these regions are often left out of pertinent discussions due to a historical focus on urban educational spaces rather than rural universities, secondary schools, and communities.

Author

• Ty C. McNamee, Teachers College, Columbia University