Scholars suggest that racial/ethnic and class disparities in school-based social capital contribute to educational inequalities. Previous studies demonstrate that social capital (relations of trust, mutual expectations, and shared values) between parents and schools supports children's development. Yet we know little about the emergence of social capital, that is, the processes through which it develops. In this study, we explore mechanisms of social capital emergence in predominantly low-income Latino school communities. We draw data from an experimental study that manipulated social capital through an after-school family engagement program. Based on interviews and focus groups with participating parents, teachers, and program staff in two elementary schools, we identified four types of interactions that act as mechanisms of social capital emergence: (1) responsive communication; (2) reciprocal communication; (3) shared experiences; and (4) institutional linkage. The article connects these mechanisms to theoretically linked sources of social capital and discusses implications for theory and practice.
Parenting practices are a key mechanism in the transmission of class advantage from adults to children; however, Latinxs have not been a main focus of this work. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 17 middle-class and working-class and poor Mexican American parents, we explore social class patterns in childrearing practices and beliefs. Rather than stark-class differences found in previous work, we observed substantial similarities across social class lines. Our findings suggest that (1) Social mobility experienced by middle-class parents complicate class-based parenting beliefs. (2) Variation in parenting approaches in the same household mitigates class distinctions. (3) Mexican Americans’ shared contextual experiences and cultural values minimize social class differences in childrearing. These findings reshape the literature on class differences in parenting and show how social class and race and ethnicity impact childrearing beliefs and practices that are better illuminated when studied as a process.
Research suggests that school-based parent networks have significant benefits for children’s education, yet scholars know very little about how such relationships form and develop over time. This study uses interview and survey data with elementary school parents in predominantly low-income Latinx communities to examine how parents meet one another; how deeper, more trusting relationships develop; and how the size and quality of parent networks change over time in the presence and absence of a family engagement program. Interview data suggest few and infrequent opportunities for parents to meet one another, which makes building relationships characterized by trust and shared expectations more difficult. The quantitative results show positive short-term effects of the program but differential effects over time.
The employment social enterprise (ESE) model can provide an opportunity to create a financially viable business that helps individuals with employment barriers become integrated into the labor force. This research studied eight ESEs. Findings suggest that by applying private‐sector business principles to a workforce development programs, social enterprises can provide participants with meaningful and valuable work experience, while offsetting program costs. Analysis identified four promising practices that social entrepreneurs should adopt when setting up a new enterprise. Enterprises should (a) provide soft‐skill training and social services to participants; (b) operate at a size that allows for economies of scale in production and the provision of support services; (c) have few occupational skill requirements; and (d) hire supervisors with both industry knowledge and the capacity to support individuals with employment barriers.
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