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3 Ways to Help Students Gain the Career Connections They Need to Succeed

By Robert Markle, Reprinted from The74 Between 2012 and 2018, rates of loneliness in school among teens nearly doubled. COVID-19 school closures only added fuel to the fire, leaving students feeling even more isolated and withdrawn. In response to this nationwide epidemic, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent advisory urges institutions, including schools and community organizations, […]

People-powered pathways: Lessons in how to build students’ social capital through career-connected learning

By Robert Markle, Anna Arsenault, and Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from The Christensen Institute Download the Paper Executive Summary What will it take to ensure that all students, especially those furthest from opportunity, are on a path to promising and fulfilling careers? Schools are increasingly engaging in career-connected learning to increase career exposure and skill […]

Exploring the college transitional stories of first-generation college students engaged in division III athletics

Zlotkowski, L. (2023). The unique challenges and demands of first-generation college students who participate in division III athletics. Journal of First-Generation Student Success. https://doi.org/10.1080/26906015.2023.2222050 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: First-generation college students face more challenges than their peers in navigating college. Because student-athletes need to maintain their athleticism and academics to succeed, it’s imperative to […]

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 […]

Building Youth Potential Through Trust, Resources, and Going Deeper

By and reprinted from the Search Institute Adults can nurture and build youth potential by introducing young people to new opportunities in many ways: helping them to clearly articulate and plan for their goals, connecting them with new ideas, and guiding them through new experiences, to name a few. Activities, discussions, and assignments designed to […]

Quarterly spotlight on students’ social capital: Updates from the field on measuring students’ networks

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from the Christensen Institute Newsletter Dear Friends, For the years we’ve been studying students’ access to and ability to mobilize social capital, by far the most common question we receive is “How do you measure it?” The “it” in that question is often evasive. Boiling relationships down to a single […]

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, […]

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 […]