Abstract
This paper examines the role of social capital - the set of supportive interpersonal interactions that exists in the family, community, and school - in promoting educational achievement. Employing data on public school students from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) and other secondary data sources, we examine the link between students’ access to social capital and important educational benchmarks, especially standardized test scores for math and reading. Building on previous research, we attempt to refine the conceptualization and measurement of social capital. We then undertake a new exploration of test score gains realized by students over the course of the 8th to 12th grades in order to assess the extent to which social capital attributes of the family, school, and community contribute to such gains. Finally, we outline the implications of our findings in guiding education policy activities in rural America.
Highlights
IntroductionThe creation of vibrant and sustainable economies in rural
Unlike past decades, the creation of vibrant and sustainable economies in ruralAmerica is becoming increasingly tied to the educational credentials and training skills of the local workforce (Aldrich and Kusmin 1997; Gibbs, Swaim, and Teixeira 1998; McCall 1997)
We examined a comprehensive set of factors that might be incorporated into community efforts aimed at creating a pool of high-quality workers
Summary
The creation of vibrant and sustainable economies in rural. America is becoming increasingly tied to the educational credentials and training skills of the local workforce (Aldrich and Kusmin 1997; Gibbs, Swaim, and Teixeira 1998; McCall 1997). Firms are settling in rural areas that have a sufficient pool of well-educated workers or a labor force capable of learning needed skills (Gale, Wojan, and Olmsted 2002; McGranahan 2002). At the same time, such firms want localities that take the education of their children seriously — places that invest in the education of tomorrow’s workforce. If excellence in educational achievement, individually and collectively, is a key ingredient in promoting rural prosperity, understanding the factors that contribute to achievement is crucial. Past research, such as the often-cited Coleman
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