Laying the Foundation for Employment: The Role of Social Capital in Educational Achievement

Abstract

This paper examines the role of social capital -the set of supportive interpersonal interactions that exists in the family, community, and school -in promoting educational achievement. Employing data on public school students from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) and other secondary data sources, we examine the link between students' access to social capital and important educational benchmarks, especially standardized test scores for math and reading. Building on previous research, we attempt to refine the conceptualization and measurement of social capital. We then undertake a new exploration of test score gains realized by students over the course of the 8 th to 12 th grades in order to assess the extent to which social capital attributes of the family, school, and community contribute to such gains. Finally, we outline the implications of our findings in guiding education policy activities in rural America.

Does Urban Density Promote Soci al Interaction? Evidence from Instrumental Variable Estimation

“…Education achievement is also related to the social support of interpersonal interaction of students with family, community, and school. (Israel and Beaulieu, 2004) In urban economics, researchers see social interaction as a pillar for the existence of cities. Glaeser andGottlieb (2006, p. 1275) state that "cities make it easier to interact, and one of the main advantages of dense, urban areas is that they facilitate social interactions."…”

The Impact of Gender and Spatial Differentials on Schooling Decisions: a Socio-Cultural Perspective of Cameroon

“…Due to the large number and diverse nature of the variables selected from the theoretical framework on which this article is based (cf. Coleman, 1988;Israel & Beaulieu, 2004), a pre-evaluation analysis was carried out via factor analysis (principal-component analysis). This aided in reducing the data as well as in constructing latent independent factors for further analysis, with the intent to help reduce the problem of multi-collinearity, a pre-condition for multiple regression and correlation analysis (Schöneck & Voß, 2005).…”

The Social Capital Theory in the Light of a Centre-Periphery Comparison

“…This implies that if the human capital of parents is not complimented by social capital embodied in and outside family relationships, then it turns out to be less germane to children's educational growth. In effect, the social capital that leads to human capital for children will include both the physical presence of adults as well as the attention given by adults to children (Israel & Beaulieu, 2004).…”

“…Due to the large number and diverse nature of the variables selected from the social-capital theoretical framework (cf. Coleman 1988;Israel & Beaulieu, 2004), a pre-evaluation analysis was carried out via factor analysis (principal-component analysis) with the main aim of data reduction as well as the construction of latent independent factors or variables which could help to reduce or eliminate the problem of multi-collinearity for further analysis to be possible. In doing so, the instruments for data measurement (such as Chronbach's alpha, Kaiser Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy as well as the Bartlett Test of Sphericity) were also validated and the level of generalizability and reliability of the findings estimated (Schöneck, 2005).…”

“…While Coleman's social capital theory (cf. Coleman, 1988;Israel & Beaulieu, 2001& 2004 aided in illustrating a framework for micro-level interpretation, the macrolevel interaction theory of Bjornskov & Svendsen (2003) guided the interpretation and enabled us to look at the data in a deeper and broader way. Bjornskov & Svendsen (2003), in their attempt at measuring social capital at the national (macro) level, see the term as a unitary concept, particularly involving the role of public policy in building social relations.…”