Homeless Education and Social Capital: An Examination of School and Community Leaders

2011 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 1067-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Miller

Background/Context This study contributes to the literature on the schooling of homeless and highly mobile students. Although previous work has detailed the demographics of homelessness, the effects of homelessness on academic progress, and particular legal issues in homeless education, this research focused on how individual and institutional relationships influence homeless education. Purpose/Objectives The purpose of the study was to develop deeper understanding of how schools and shelters helped create educational social capital for students and families who were experiencing homelessness. The guiding research questions for the study were: (1) How do school and shelter leaders perceive social capital as influencing the education of students who are homeless? and (2) How do school and shelter leaders’ relational networks influence the education of students who are homeless? Setting Data were collected from three homeless shelters and three public schools that are located in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants A total of 31 interviews were conducted with shelter-based administrators, case workers, and child development specialists, and school-based principals and central office administrators. Research Design A qualitative collective case study research design was employed. Findings Homeless students and families appeared to have insufficient stores of productive social capital, and although schools and homeless shelters provided them with some important relationships and resources, school and shelter leaders’ own shortages of bridging social capital limited the extent to which efficient educative active could occur. Conclusions/Recommendations Based on the findings, it is suggested that schools and shelters prioritize social capital development and improve interorganizational networking. Specifically, purposeful efforts should be made to develop school-shelter-family networks that are heterogeneous in composition.

1997 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Schneider ◽  
Paul Teske ◽  
Melissa Marschall ◽  
Michael Mintrom ◽  
Christine Roch

While the possible decline in the level of social capital in the United States has received considerable attention by scholars such as Putnam and Fukuyama, less attention has been paid to the local activities of citizens that help define a nation's stock of social capital. Scholars have paid even less attention to how institutional arrangements affect levels of social capital. We argue that giving parents greater choice over the public schools their children attend creates incentives for parents as “citizen/consumers” to engage in activities that build social capital. Our empirical analysis employs a quasi-experimental approach comparing parental behavior in two pairs of demographically similar school districts that vary on the degree of parental choice over the schools their children attend. Our data show that, controlling for many other factors, parents who choose when given the opportunity are higher on all the indicators of social capital analyzed. Fukuyama has argued that it is easier for governments to decrease social capital than to increase it. We argue, however, that the design of government institutions can create incentives for individuals to engage in activities that increase social capital.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Rivan Gestiardi ◽  
Suyitno Suyitno

Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter (PPK) adalah upaya untuk membentuk karakter siswa di Indonesia agar menjadi orang yang baik, berguna untuk dirinya dan sekitarnya. Dengan kebijakan daring selama masa pandemi Covid-19, terjadi perubahan proses pendidikan karakter yang berbeda. Tujuan penelitian ini mendeskripsikan penguatan pendidikan karakter tanggung jawab di Sekolah Dasar Muhammadiyah Ngabean I di Yogyakarta di masa pandemi Covid-19. Penelitian ini menggunakan jenis penelitian deskriptif kualitatif dengan desain penelitian studi kasus. Pengumpulan data pada penelitin ini dilakukan dengan teknik observasi, wawancara, dan studi dokumen. Hasil penelitian menyimpulkan penguatan pendidikan karakter tanggung jawab di masa  pandemi dilakukan dengan cara: (1) sekolah mengintegrasikan nilai karakter tanggung jawab ke dalam pembelajaran, dan juga dengan cara sekolah menerapkan protokol Kesehatan; (2) SD Muhammadiyah Ngabean 1 memfokuskan program penguatan pendidikan karakter pada nilai tanggung jawab dalam mengerjakan tugas masing-masing yang diberikan oleh guru; dan (3) sekolah berkerja sama dengan orang tua untuk melaksanakan pendidikan karakter tanggung jawab kepada siswa dalam pendampingan pembelajaran selama di rumah.STRENGTHENING THE RESPONSIBILITY CHARACTER EDUCATION OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THE PANDEMIC ERA Character education is the beginning of efforts to form a character, which is the basis for being useful for himself and his surroundings. This policy, students experience changes and different habits, usually done in schools, is now changing in their respective homes. This research uses descriptive qualitative research design with descriptive case study research design. Data collection in this research is done by using observation, interview, and documentation techniques. This research aims to describe the character strengthening program carried out by elementary schools in Yogyakarta. Strengthening character education of primary schools in a pandemic is carried out by: (1) the role of school in calling for the implementation of health protocols such as using hands frequently using masks and maintaining a safe distance from each other; (2) the school also collaborates with parents to emphasize character education of students in learning assistance while at home; and (3) SD Muhammadiyah Ngabean 1 focuses on strengthening characters, namely discipline and responsibility in doing each assignment given by the teacher.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 288-299
Author(s):  
Elvira V. Bushkova-Shiklina ◽  
◽  
Tatiana A. Musikhina ◽  

Introduction. Social capital is a set of resources for human social interaction – social ties, rules of social exchange and trust. As the most important part of human capital, social capital becomes an indicator of society cohesion mainly in the matters of implementation of socio-system values – the survival and integrity of society, care for current and future generations. In this regard, the implementation of environmental values is an important direction in the development of social capital and a key task of students’ environmental education. Students’ environmental education is possible by solving an urgent social problem – the separate collection of household waste. This problem is becoming more and more relevant and discussed both at the regulatory and public levels. There is no formed public opinion – the understanding of possibilities and threats of this problem, the readiness of the population to participate in its solution. The purpose of the article was to analyze the views of students regarding the prospects and possibilities of solving the problem of separate waste collection in society, their readiness to independently participate in this practice, as well as to assess the possibilities of using this practice for the purpose of environmental education and increasing social solidarity. Materials and methods: 1) a qualitative substantive analysis of 200 students’ essays on the topic “Environmental Problems of My Region”; 2) a survey of 400 students of the Vyatka State University. Results. Students’ high willingness to practice separate waste collection against the background of other environmental practices (up to 70%, mostly girls (χ2=24.1, p=0.001), senior students (χ2=70, p=0.0). High cognitive interest in this problem is shown – 53% of students would like to study it further. Students consider the purchase of goods in biodegradable packaging as a first step towards reducing the amount of garbage (97% of students are ready to do this to varying degrees). First of all, students are ready to collect non-perishable waste – paper, plastic, glass, to a lesser extent – organic waste, metal, clothes, and shoes. More than half of the students understand that the practice of separate waste collection is a promising direction in the development of a civilized society, contributing to the improvement of yard aesthetics, improving the quality of the environment, preserving valuable resources, forests and, in general, manifestations of care for future generations. The main directions of work on environmental education and social solidarity are outlined on the basis of the data obtained.


2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Susan Yoon ◽  
Jessica Koehler Yom ◽  
Zhitong Yang ◽  
Lei Liu

Background Recent research investigating the conditions under which science teachers can successfully implement science education reforms suggests that focusing only on professional development to improve content knowledge and teaching skills—often referred to as human capital—may not be enough. Increasingly, possessing social capital, defined as capacities acquired through direct and indirect relationships in social networks, has become an important teaching characteristic to develop, however, more empirical research needs to be conducted. Purpose This article details our efforts to examine the relative influence of teachers’ social and human capital on instruction in the science classroom. The following research question guided our analysis: “What is the impact of teachers’ social and human capital on their classroom enactments, and what implications does this have for implementing science reform projects?” Setting This research was conducted in a large urban public school district in the northeast region of the United States. Teachers participated in professional development activities focused on learning about, constructing, and implementing nanoscale content through problem-based and inquiry-based units, integrated with technology applications such as computer simulations. Population The teacher group was comprised of 10 males and 11 females, eight of whom identified as African American and 13 as White. Teaching experience ranged from 1 to 33 years, with a mean of 11.18 years. Data were collected from 545 students in their classes, of whom 52.19% were African American and 65.03% received free or reduced-priced lunch. Students ranged in level between eighth and 12th grade in the subject areas of biology, chemistry, and physical science. Research Design The research design entailed a within group comparison assessing variables that quantified teacher's social and human capital as discreet measures. They were then compared to survey outcomes collected from their students that indicated change in instructional enactments as they were related to the nanoscale units. Data Collection and Analysis A regression analysis was used in the study. Student surveys of perceptions of instructional enactments in two factors—cognitively-rich pedagogies and computer-related technology use–were used as the predicted variables. The social and human capital measures were established from application surveys and year-end interviews of teachers and used as predictor variables. Results With both predictors in the model, only social capital was found to be predictive of teachers’ successful implementation, indicating that social capital was a stronger predictor than human capital. Conclusions The study shows that focusing on the development of a teacher's social capital may be an important feature of professional development activities alongside the development of human capital particularly in urban populations where access to resources is limited.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia A. Shobe ◽  
Jacqueline Dienemann

Physical, sexual, verbal and economic abuse, also known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), comprise a major public health problem. IPV risk factors include poverty, stress, substance use, depression, and history of child maltreatment. Protective factors include human capital (functional health and work competencies/qualifications), social capital (formal/informal relationships and resources) and financial capital (income and assets). Traditional IPV initiatives focus on increasing social capital by changing the cognition and/or behaviour of victims or perpetrators and increasing legal sanctions and supportive resources. The proposed Asset Model of IPV Resolution extends the current model to include an ecological approach to the prevention and resolution of IPV. In addition to human and social capital development, the authors suggest financial capital development through Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) as one social policy initiative to support women at risk of or women who experience IPV.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Sato ◽  
Jennifer Walton-Fisette ◽  
Insook Kim

Public schools in the United States (US) have become more linguistically diverse. With the rise of English as a global language, English Language Learners (ELLs) experience “transnationalism”, which requires them to gain a critical and reflective knowledge of diverse cultures and the valuing of a new language and culture. Many teachers do not recognize the importance of language as a tool for teaching academic subjects. Teachers struggle to shape and guide conversations using language to help ELLs further their development. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary physical education (PE) teachers’ experiences with teaching ELLs. Based on positioning theory, this study employed an interpretive case study research design. Six PE teachers volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected from a survey questionnaire, face-to-face interviews and follow-up e-mails. Three major interrelated and complex themes emerged from the data analysis. These recurrent themes were (a) race and cultural-based stereotype, (b) social inclusion and communication challenges, and (c) PE teachers’ learning experiences. Although each of the PE teachers expressed the view that there were challenges in working with ELLs, they believed that they should implement effective pedagogical methods (inclusive pedagogy), address social justice and diversity issues of ELLs, and develop a positive learning atmosphere for all students.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Tetnowski

Qualitative case study research can be a valuable tool for answering complex, real-world questions. This method is often misunderstood or neglected due to a lack of understanding by researchers and reviewers. This tutorial defines the characteristics of qualitative case study research and its application to a broader understanding of stuttering that cannot be defined through other methodologies. This article will describe ways that data can be collected and analyzed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki L. Plano Clark ◽  
◽  
Lori A. Foote ◽  
Janet B. Walton ◽  
◽  
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