Are Networks Great Equalizers? Intergenerational Closure, Cultural Capital, and Capital Conversion in Elementary Schools

Building upon theories of capital conversion, we examine relationships between one form of social capital (intergenerational closure, defined as the number of connections among parents in a school) and both simple and complex forms of cultural capital (school-oriented home activities and concerted cultivation) across socioeconomic status (SES). Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 2010 to 2011, the results show that intergenerational closure is significantly and positively associated with both home activities and concerted cultivation, having a stronger association with the latter. Families with lower SES report higher rates of engaging in everyday home activities, whereas families with higher SES concentrate more of their efforts into concerted cultivation. Furthermore, network size positively affects home activities across socioeconomic contexts but has stronger associations with concerted cultivation in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. We interpret these findings as suggesting that parental networks can be key mechanisms for converting forms of capital in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts.