Networks to Nowhere: Segregation and Stratification in Networks of Information about Schools

The Diffusion of Strikes: A Dyadic Analysis of Economic Sectors in the Netherlands, 1995–2007

“…The probability of such social interaction in, and the diffusion of information through, social networks, and thus the exchange of information about a strike, increase when the workers of two sectors share more similarities with respect to their occupation, skills, and level of education ðMarsden 1988; Schneider et al 1997;McPherson, Smith-Lovin, and Cook 2001Þ. Information on bargaining outcomes elsewhere, including strikes, may be more relevant and more easily interpreted for workers, negotiators, and management when they take place in sectors with similar skill levels.…”

Access to Better Education: The School Choice Experience of Families Served by Low-Performing Elementary Public Schools in Miami-Dade County

“…Social capital, which is influenced by social class, is directly linked to how parents make school choice decisions and their ability to use those schooling choices (Bulman 2004;Bell 2007;Goldring and Phillips 2008). Research has shown that high social class status is positively associated with the number of social networks a parent has, the quality of those social networks and parent participation in school activities (Schneider et al 1997;Horvat et al 2003;Lee and Bowen 2006).…”

“…As illustrated in the literature review chapter, current school-choice policy creates an education market in which parents are provided more school options from which to choose and schools are put in a position to compete for parents' business (Schneider et al 1997;Bartlett et al 2002). Public school choice policy seeks to improve the academic achievement of all schools, gives parents more control of the school their child attends using a competitive educational market and provide a wide selection of alternative schooling options to all families (Buckley and Schneider 2003;Goyette 2008;Lubienski et al 2009).…”

“…These factors include but are not limited to, location, academic achievement, student demographics, safety, and the academic programs offered. According to the literature, all of these factors have strong correlations to parents' social class characteristics and parents' access to social capital (Ball 1993;Schneider et al 1997;Weidner and Herrington 2006;Teske et al 2007). Parents' social class and access to social capital are the primary factors that account for the variation in the use of school choice options among parents.…”

“…Without the assistance of informal resources such as other parents, friend or family, low-income parents would have to rely solely on formal resources such as school personnel or information on the internet. Information through formal sources can sometimes be more difficult to find and can be overwhelming for parents because of their lack of access to technology, computer skills, or knowledge of how to access information from their child's school district (Schneider et al 1997). …”