School diversity and social capital: Conditions that foster bridging ties in schools

• In Event: Peer Groups, Boundary-Work, and Educational Mobility

Abstract

Social networks can drive upward mobility for marginalized youth, yet cross-class ties remain difficult to form due to structural and organizational constraints. We examined the mechanisms through which ties form across social class. Using administrative and survey data from 948 11th-grade students, and 32 student interviews, across five high schools in metropolitan Detroit, we found that shared extracurricular activities and courses are the strongest predictors of cross-class friendships, while residential proximity plays a minimal role in most schools. Interviews further illuminated mechanisms through which school activities created “third spaces” for cross-class interaction. Findings suggest schools can foster cross-class ties through intentional programming and course scheduling, countering the effects of residential segregation, with important implications for educational equity and social mobility.

Authors

• Huriya Jabbar, University of Southern California

• Tara Blagg, University of Southern California

• Sarah Lenhoff, Wayne State University

• Jeremy Singer, University of Michigan Flint