Posts

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 […]

For Lower-Income Students, Big Tech Internships Can Be Hard to Get

Critics say the intern selection process often favors wealthier students, just like the admission process at some elite colleges. By Natasha Singer, Reprinted from The New York Times Jalaun Ross, a computer science major at Central Connecticut State University, knew it would be difficult to land an internship at a prominent tech company this summer. […]

Relationships in Schools Are Central to Young People’s Growth

By and reprinted from the Search Institute Our world is changing rapidly, but one thing remains constant. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the educational challenges and adaptations it brought, the teacher-student relationship remains central to young people’s development. But how do parents view the importance of this relationship? Search Institute is sharing new data that […]

From idea to action: 5 strategies to build students’ relationships

By Julia Freeland Fisher, Reprinted from the Christensen Institute By now, many educators have probably heard about the sweeping Nature study that revealed that whom you interacted with as you grew up is a major determinant of future economic success. Specifically, children who had connections with peers from higher-income families ended up with higher incomes […]

WT Grant Foundation: Emergency Exits: Avenues for New Research to Improve Youth Outcomes after COVID

By Anya Kamenetz, reprinted from the William T. Grant Foundation Journalist Anya Kamenetz is a writer who makes extensive use of research in her reporting—so much so that, in 2022, the American Educational Research Association recognized her with its Excellence In Media Reporting On Education Research Award. But as she learned while reporting on the […]

How Building Relationship Skills Supports Student Success

By and reprinted from the Search Institute Young people develop resilience to face life’s challenges when they have at least one well-rounded, strong, and sustained relationship in their lives. And they begin to thrive when they experience a broader web of relationships in their homes, schools, programs, and communities. But developmentally influential relationships do not […]

WT Grant Foundation: Reducing Educational Inequality After the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Adam Gamoran and Richard J. Murnane, reprinted from the William T. Grant Foundation When President Barack Obama declared in December 2013 that the stifling combination of growing inequality and lack of upward mobility constituted “the defining challenge of our time,” he pointed to education as a pathway to economic opportunity (Obama, 2013).1 Nevertheless, the […]

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, […]

New study explores first-generation mentoring in college students

Hagler, M. A. (2023). Mentoring first-generation college students: Examining distinct relationship profiles based on interpersonal characteristics, support provision, and educational capital. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23003 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  While more and more first-generation students are enrolling in college, they are still less likely to receive their bachelor’s degree for various reasons (e.g., […]

Three Steps toward Implementing Equity-Centered Student Supports and Engagement Practices

By Amanda Briggs, Reprinted from the Urban Institute Many students of color seek out career and technical education (CTE) programs, particularly programs offered online, to further their education and increase their earnings potential. But previous research has demonstrated that grade point averages, CTE program completion rates, and earnings after program entry are lower for Black […]