The Social Structure of School Resource Disparities: How Social Capital and Interorganizational Relationships Matter for Educational Equity

Abstract

One potentially underestimated aspect of resource inequity in U.S. public schools is access to social capital in external organizational environments. This research examines partnerships among 211 New York City high schools and 918 partner organizations from 2001 to 2005 as sources of external school social capital providing resources that can strengthen organizational capacity to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. The findings, based on an innovative analysis combining content analysis, social network analysis, and multilevel modeling, demonstrate that four partnership characteristics are important in this context: (1) how long partnerships last versus how many there are, (2) partners concentrating resources in a particular area versus across diverse complementary areas, (3) partners being densely connected to other schools and partners rather than being central in the overall school–partner network, and (4) partners conveying instructional resources versus other kinds of resources. Hence, educational research and policy should more broadly conceptualize how schools’ external organizational environments matter for educational equity and the role particular kinds of partnerships can play.

Neither Elite nor Grassroots Networks: Educational Change Through Mid-Level Bureaucrats

“…The sociological study of social networks in education has encompassed studies on school communities' social capital (Coleman 1988;Gamoran et al 2021), teachers' relational ties with each other (Coburn, Mata, and Choi 2013;Penuel et al 2009), students' peer influence, friendship formation, and bullying (Faris and Felmlee 2014;McFarland 2001;Raabe et al 2019), and networks of philanthropic and nonprofit influence on schools (Ball 2008;Bridwell-Mitchell, Jack, and Childs 2023;Reckhow 2013). In an edited volume on Social Network Theory and Educational Change, Daly (2010) noted that these networks are not simply characteristic of schools but are key in supporting or constraining changes at multiple levels of education.…”

“…While these resources may support new programs and policies, they may also lead to differential access to school partners, further disadvantaging already disadvantaged schools (Bridwell-Mitchell 2017). Yet it is not just the number of partners that matter for students' educational outcomes but also the length of these partnerships and their focus in specific initiatives (Bridwell-Mitchell et al 2023). These networks for new policies and additional resources can then have an outsized impact on the direction of educational initiatives and changes.…”