From Social Ties to Social Capital: Class Differences in the Relations Between Schools and Parent Networks

TLDR

Parental networks are a central dimension of social capital. The study investigates how social‑class differences shape the relationship between families and schools. The authors describe network characteristics across classes and analyze how networks influence parents when faced with problematic school situations. Middle‑class parents collectively mobilized professional contacts to contest school judgments, whereas working‑class and poor parents did not, and no significant race differences were observed, underscoring the role of resource‑centered social capital in inequality.

Abstract

Focusing on parental networks—a central dimension of social capital—this article uses ethnographic data to examine social-class differences in the relations between families and schools. We detail the characteristics of networks across different classes and then explore the ways that networks come into play when parents are confronted by problematic school situations. The middle-class parents in our study tended to react collectively, in contrast to working-class and poor parents. The middle-class parents were also uniquely able to draw on contacts with professionals to mobilize the information, expertise, or authority needed to contest the judgments of school officials. We did not find substantial race differences. We affirm the importance of a resource-centered conception of social capital that grants the issue of inequality a predominant place.