Social Capital Building
When we hold conversations about communities of poverty and their schools, we attempt to talk about disturbing stressors that are interfering and intrusive issues.
The phrase social capital suggests measuring stressors in numbers. This is common practice in school districts. My research, however, demonstrated that Hispanic families and the parent participants involved in the trainings were a bit different, building on purposeful relationships.
A social community is healthy when relationships are felt deeply, when there are histories of trust, a shared sense of mutual belonging, norms of mutual commitment, habits of mutual assistance, and real affection from one heart and soul to another. — David Brooks
Social capital building refers to training parents in the organization of their time and family time. Parents noted this concept required patience in learning how to organize.
Social capital building became critical to communication with their families. Listening, organizing, and using words such as partnership, roles, planning, and communication were highly favored after several days of training.
For more about ELL success, refer to my book, ¡Andamio! Engaging Hispanic Families for ELL Success Using Brain-Based Learning.
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