Posts

New study shows how family social capital affects academic achievement

Oyefuga, E., & Shakeshaft, C. (2023). Social capital and the higher education academic achievement: Using cross-classified multilevel models to understanding the impact of society on educational outcomes. Youth & Society, 55(1), 163–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X211042912 Summarized by Megyn Jasman and Ariel Ervin  Notes of Interest:  Social capital refers to an individual’s network of relationships and how they, in turn, […]

How do mentoring relationships affect the college enrollment of first-generation college students?

Glass, L. E. (2023). Social capital and first-generation college students: Examining the relationship between mentoring and college enrollment. Education and Urban Society, 55(2), 143–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221076097 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  There is a progressively big gap in college graduation rates among first-generation and low-income students. Studies indicate that this notable disparity stems from a lack […]

Helping Young People Develop Social Capital for a Successful Future

Reprinted from Search Institute Social capital consists of the resources that arise from a web of relationships that people can access and mobilize to help them improve their lives and achieve their goals. But how do you help young people to build their social capital? And why is it important? Social capital is one of the […]

How do you talk to students about their networks?

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from The Christensen Institute How do you talk to students about social capital? If you want students to deepen and expand their networks, what messages and experiences increase the likelihood that they’ll feel confident and inspired to do so? These questions come up frequently in our fieldwork. Although this is […]

Quarterly spotlight on students’ social capital: Talking to students about their networks

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Christensen Institute Reprinted from the Christensen Institute’s newsletter  Dear Friends, How do you talk to students about deepening and expanding their networks? This question comes up frequently in our work. Although this is certainly an area where more R&D would be beneficial, there are a few guiding principles and examples that […]

How Schools Can Teach Students to Network (Even When Students Don’t Think They Have One)

By Sarah D. Sparks, Reprinted from Education Week Many schools have used federal funding to hire or assign staff or volunteers to build one-on-one relationships with students. But as leaders grapple with staff shortages and overwhelmed teachers, it may be more effective and sustainable to help students learn to find and develop support networks on […]

Students’ hidden networks: Relationship mapping as a strategy to build asset-based pathways

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from The Christensen Institute Download Paper. To grow their students’ support and professional networks, schools frequently depend on hiring more staff on the margins, enlisting existing faculty and staff to take on additional responsibilities like mentoring and advising, or launching initiatives that recruit volunteers or alumni to engage in pro […]

Mentoring Solutions for Sustaining Youth Employment

By Charline Alexandre- Joseph, Reprinted from the National Youth Employment Coalition In this time of social distancing and multiple pandemics, MENTOR thinks a lot about power, privilege, and opportunities, especially when it comes to how young people will access the job market. Last September, Equitable Futures surveyed approximately 1,200 young people ages 15- to 21-years […]

New study explores how peer mentoring enhances students’ career goals

Boat, A. A., Miranda, A., & Syvertsen, A. K. (2022). Enhancing education and career pathways through peer and near-peer social capital. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(7), 1287–1304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01540-x Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although social capital is known for assisting individuals with achieving their goals, research on this subject primarily examines the […]

If we truly want a level playing field, we must focus on social capital

By Andy Chan & Kristina Francis, Reprinted from The Campus Nearly 80 per cent of current students now say they’re worried about finding any kind of job after graduation, let alone a good job, and two-thirds say university is no longer worth the cost. Those concerns are especially acute among Black and Latinx students and […]