Sources of Social Capital in Community Engagement Efforts: Qualitative Study of Public School Boards
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2005
Abstract
Never before in the history of public education has it been more critical for school boards to connect with their communities. As more and more demands are made on public schools, districts must rely on their communities to boost the value of their schools by increasing resources, building support, co-producing results and overcoming obstacles. The objective of this study was to understand the factors –within the framework of social capital - related to board members that either promote or hinder community collaboration with their school districts. As part of this exploratory case study, the superintendent and two board members in each of three school districts were interviewed about the boards’ leadership styles and their experiences with networking. The results suggest a linkage between board leadership styles, their types of networking experiences and the level of community collaboration with the school district. The study also raises questions about the impact of external drivers - the level of board member diversity, as well as community size and community growth - on board leadership styles and the level of community collaboration. The conceptual model and its constructs will require testing and validation over a broader audience, as the participant sample in this study is limited. This research will contribute to the literature on board governance, leadership styles and social capital.
Keywords
public schools--United States, social capital (Sociology)
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Moore, Suzanne K., "Sources of Social Capital in Community Engagement Efforts: Qualitative Study of Public School Boards" (2005). Student Scholarship. 395.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/395