Search

Teacher collaboration has become an increasingly important lever for school improvement efforts. This is especially true in high need urban districts, which struggle with capacity building in the face of significant teacher turnover, major shifts in curriculum and instruction, and scarce resources. This paper employs a mixed methods approach to analyze the landscape of teacher networks in a sample of district and charter schools in Philadelphia. Hierarchical linear modeling, social network analysis, and qualitative analysis are used to evaluate the types and functions of networks, school and teacher characteristics associated with participation in networks, and the value teachers associate with networks. The findings support previous research on the role of networks in improving school climate, broadening teacher expertise, and increasing job satisfaction and persistence in the field. Policy and research recommendations are offered to districts and schools. The most effective teachers do not work in isolation. Instead, they foster collaboration and teamwork in order to continually improve their craft and deliver their expertise to ultimately impact the students they teach. Individual teachers working by themselves can result in a flattening of professional growth (Leana, 2011). In contrast, a growing body of research provides strong support for the importance of social capital--relationships among teachers--for improving public schools (Johnson, Lustick, & Kim, 2011; Leana & Pil, 2006; Leana & Pil, 2009). Various terms have been used to describe social capital among teachers: "collaboration," "social networks," "professional learning communities (PLCs)," "teacher networks," "teacher professional community," "teacher teams," "collegial foci," and similar terminology (Coburn & Russell, 2008; Yasumoto, 2001). For the purposes of this research, we use teacher networks, broadly defined as "groups of teachers, organized both formally and informally inside and outside the school building/day, related teacher learning, support, or school improvement" (Niesz, 2007). As such, teacher network opportunities take many different forms. Formal in-school teacher networks, such as teacher teams with structured meeting times, can be set up by grade level or discipline and across instructional or non-instructional building-wide issues (Liberman, 1995; Penuel et al., 2010; Spillane et al., 2007). Teachers also take advantage of out-of-school networks, whether through a university, district, or non-profit-sponsored group, for forming relationships and acquiring new ideas with others experiencing different school environments with their own challenges and strengths (Niesz, 2007). These associations outside the school can be especially powerful for teachers who feel isolated within their school (Niesz, 2007). At the same time, informal networks within a school building are multitudinous and organic, taking place in hallways and during lunch (Baker-Doyle & Yoon, 2011; Penuel, Riel, Krause, & Frank, 2009). Virtual teacher networks are also growing in popularity (De John, 2013; Quentin & Bruillard, 2013; Schlager, Farooq, Fusco, Schank, & Dwyer, 2009). The purpose of this research is to better understand the landscape of teacher network participation, broadly construed. We explore the networks of 183 teachers in Philadelphia in order to understand the range of network opportunities in which teachers engage, perceptions of network value, and factors that influence participation and value. Using a mixed methods approach, we find that teachers engage with a broad range of networks, both internal to and outside of the school, formal or informal in nature, and conducted online or in person. While these networks have unique values and benefits, we find that they are also interdependent, indicating that teachers' engagement in networks for professional support is complex and driven by a wide range of factors, including school context, content area, and professional goals. This "bigger picture" of teacher network participation is instructive for both policy and future research.

This paper captures the life histories of two West African pre-service teachers pursuing their education in the United States. Based on a larger study examining the life histories of 45 undergraduate pre-service teachers, these narratives focus specifically on international student experiences in the US. Grounded in Bourdieu's theory of "habitus," capital, and field, the life histories of Bakar and Selma illustrate how their capital and "habitus" become contingent on the field(s) (i.e. sites, time, and agents within a specific context) in which they are situated. The narratives of Bakar and Selma captured their early educational experiences, teacher preparation practices, and future possibilities as they moved in and out of different fields where the exchange of capital occurred, which then led to restructuring and/or de-valuerization of certain "habitus." The experiences of Bakar and Selma heighten our awareness of the capital and "habitus" deployed in a variety of contexts--fields--in the US and elsewhere. We conclude by incorporating discussion focused on working with international teacher candidates.

This paper presents the first in a series of studies on the informal advice networks of a community of teachers in an in-service professional development program. The aim of the research was to use Social Network Analysis as a methodological tool to reveal the social networks developed by the teachers, and to examine whether these networks maximized teachers' access to practitioner-based social capital. We define practitioner-based social capital as the knowledge and resources for teaching practice that are accessible through a social network. Our findings indicated that teachers did not naturally build advice networks that would cultivate the highest levels of practitioner-based social capital. This study offers new possibilities for social network research on teachers' learning communities in understanding the dynamics of teacher networks. Further, program facilitators will use this information to strategically foster improved teacher collaboration and learning, which will be described in forthcoming studies in this series. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Social capital has been conceptualized as features of social organization, such as networks, and norms that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit. Because of long-standing anti-Black structural oppression in the United States, social capital may be associated with health differently for Black people than for other racial/ethnic groups. Our aim was to examine the psychometric properties of social capital indicators, comparing responses from Black and White people to identify whether there is differential item functioning (DIF) in social capital according to race. DIF examines how items are related to a latent construct and whether this relationship differs across groups such as different racial groups. We used data from respondents to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey in 2004, who lived in Philadelphia (n  = 2,048), a city with a large Black population. We used item response theory analysis to test for racial DIF. We found DIF across the items, indicating measurement error, which could be related to the way these items were developed (i.e. based on cultural assumptions tested in mainstream White America). Hence, our findings underscore the need to interrogate the assumptions that underly existing social capital items through an equity-based lens, and to take corrective action when developing new items to ensure that they are racially and culturally congruent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although there has been extensive research on the adverse impacts of perceived discrimination on health, it remains unclear how perceived discrimination gets under the skin. This paper develops a comprehensive structural equation model (SEM) by incorporating both the direct effects of perceived discrimination on self-rated health (SRH), a powerful predictor for many health outcomes, and the indirect effects of perceived discrimination on SRH through health care system distrust, neighborhood social capital, and health behaviors and health conditions. Applying SEM to 9880 adults (aged between 18 and 100) in the 2008 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, we not only confirmed the positive and direct association between discrimination and poor or fair SRH, but also verified two underlying mechanisms: 1) perceived discrimination is associated with lower neighborhood social capital, which further contributes to poor or fair SRH; and 2) perceived discrimination is related to risky behaviors (e.g., reduced physical activity and sleep quality, and intensified smoking) that lead to worse health conditions, and then result in poor or fair SRH. Moreover, we found that perceived discrimination is negatively associated with health care system distrust, but did not find a significant relationship between distrust and poor or fair SRH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As a social determinant of health, religiosity remains not well understood, despite the prevalence of religious activity and prominence of religious institutions in most societies. This paper introduces a working measure of Religious Social Capital and presents preliminary associations with neighborhood social capital and urban stressors. Religious social capital is defined as the social resources available to individuals and groups through their social connections with a religious community. Domains covered include group membership, social integration, values/norms, bonding/bridging trust as well as social support. Cross-sectional data come from a convenience sample of 104 community dwelling adults residing in a single urban neighborhood in a large US city, who also provided information on neighborhood social capital, and experiences of urban stressors. Results suggest that religious social capital is a valid construct that can be reliably measured. All indicators of religious social capital were higher among those who frequently attended religious services, with the exception of bridging trust (trust of people from different religious groups). A weak, inverse, association was also observed between religious and neighborhood social capital levels. Levels of religious social capital were correlated with higher levels of reported urban stressors, while neighborhood social capital was correlated with lower urban stressor levels. A significant percent of the sample was unaffiliated with a religious tradition and these individuals were more likely to be male, young and more highly educated. Social capital is a promising construct to help elucidate the influence of religion on population health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT: This study examines the processes of revitalization within small cities, using Scranton, a postindustrial city in Northeast Pennsylvania, as a case study. Through qualitative interviews, I examine the motivation factors for key players in the revitalization of Scranton's downtown, such as business owners, city and nonprofit administrators, and cultural leaders. Revitalizers are heavily influenced by Richard Florida's creative class theory in that they strongly believe that promoting arts and culture and creating a consumer-based downtown is imperative for urban renewal. However, revitalizers are also motivated because Scranton has a high level of social capital, especially in terms of bonding capital. Strong social ties (including community, family, and institutional) assist revitalizers in their creative endeavors. This study indicates that small cities attempting to achieve economic and population stability should focus on their strengths: city livability and the thick social ties that maintain communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to assess and document the influence of collaborative watershed partnership processes on realising outcomes: improvement in social conditions and implementation of restoration projects in the Philadelphia region. Methods include primary document review, a survey of partnership participants and quantitative analysis. This analysis identifies correlations between the quality of the collaborative process and changes in social conditions. In addition, although participants in the partnerships have implemented a range of watershed restoration projects, the influence of the process on implementation is ambiguous. The collaborative processes yield agreements, improve learning and build social capital; yet these alone may be insufficient to overcome barriers to implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Time banking is an international movement that seeks to transform traditional asymmetric social service models into social networks in which members both provide and receive services that are assigned equal value. Time banks have been shown to enhance social capital, and there is some evidence for improved health. This article, based on a survey of 160 members of a hospital-affiliated time bank, examines the likelihood and predictors of improvement in physical and mental health as a result of membership. Men, people with lower income, and those who were not working full-time reported highest levels of participation in exchanging services; attachment to the organization was greatest among women, older members, people with less education, and those with the highest participation levels. Multivariate analyses revealed that physical health improvement attributed to membership was significantly predicted by attachment to the organization and living alone; mental health gains were predicted by general health changes, average number of exchanges, and attachment to the organization. We conclude that a sense of belonging, a dimension of social capital, is key to improved well-being and that time banking may be particularly valuable in promoting health and belonging among older and lower-income individuals and those who live alone. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is a growing diabetes epidemic in the United States and if we are to halt its progress we need to better understand the social determinants of this disease and its control. Social capital, which has been associated with general health and mortality, may be one important mediator of glucose control. In this study we determine if neighborhood social capital is associated with glucose control, independent of individual factors. We performed a cross-sectional study of Black veterans with diabetes living in Philadelphia. We merged individual-level data from surveys and charts with six area-level social capital descriptors. Holding all other variables constant, patients who lived in neighborhoods that scored near the 5th percentile of working together to improve the neighborhood were estimated to have glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values that were at least one point above a conservative clinical definition of 'diabetes control' (HbA1c ≤ 8%). If these same patients were to live in neighborhoods in the 95th percentile, their expected HbA1c would be over ½ a point below the cut-off value 8%. No other measure of social capital was associated with HbA1c. In this study of black veterans with diabetes we observed that living in neighborhoods where people work together is associated with better glucose control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]