Social Capital

While college completion rates have increased over time for all students, low-income students and students of color remain underrepresented among degree holders. The research presented here explores the role that family, peer, and contextual social capital play in perpetuating unequal representation in college, and whether AVID can increase the social capital resources available to students. Using multilevel models and data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), results indicated a positive, significant relationship between social capital and rigorous course taking, high school credential attainment, and college-going, with the relationship with family social capital being the strongest. The analyses revealed no direct relationship between AVID participation and academic outcomes, but results did offer modest evidence that some sources of social capital increase more for AVID students over time than non-AVID students with similar characteristics. These findings suggest that educational reform efforts aimed at building social capital are worth supporting. Keywords: social capital; AVID; HSLS:09 dataset; college access; first-generation students; noncognitive skills; cultural capital; neighborhoods; habitus.