The School Spiderweb: School Type, Social Capital, and the Academic Achievement Growth of Early Elementary Students

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Social Capital, Social Network, and Higher Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the relationship between the type of schools a student attends, the level of social capital in a student’s family, school, and community, and academic achievement growth. Many theorists have posited a relationship between the type of school a student attends and subsequent academic outcomes. In particular, the purview of James Coleman suggests that certain types of schools collect students with more or less social capital access. But significant questions remain. Do these relationships actually exist and, if so, how do they work? Also, given that the bulk of this research assesses older students, what are the consequences for younger children? Here, we assess the level of social capital available to students in different types of schools, and how those factors relate to the academic achievement and growth of kindergarten through 5th grade students using longitudinal data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K). The results of the analyses suggest that the patterns that have held for older students do not necessarily maintain for younger ones, and that there is much to be learned about the educational achievement of young children.

Authors

• Jennifer Lynn Triplett, Anderson University

• Shannon Marie McDonough, Allen University