Beyond the Individual Teacher: Developing Social Capital in Schools and School Systems By: Megan Hopkins, James P. Spillane, and Tracy M. Sweet
What’s the Problem? Efforts to improve schooling increasingly narrow in on improving individual teacher’s instruction. That makes sense given that having an effective teacher is the greatest in-school factor associated with student success. But, this focus on the individual is shortsighted: It fails to recognize the potential of social capital. Social capital refers to those