Strong relationships between teachers, parents and students at schools has more impact on improving student learning than funding, according to new research.
The research – published in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk – was conducted by Roger Goddard from the Ohio State University, along with Serena Salloum of Ball State University and Dan Berebitsky of Southern Methodist University.
It involved 5,003 students and their teachers in 78 randomly selected public elementary schools in Michigan. The sample is representative of the demographics of all elementary schools in the state.
The researchers found that social capital has 3-5 times the impact of funding in Michigan schools. Social capital refers to the network of relationships between school officials, teachers, parents and the community.
“When we talk about why some schools perform better than others, differences in the amount of money they have to spend is often assumed to be an explanation,” Science Daily quoted Goddard and Novice G. Fawcett from the Ohio State University as saying.
“We found that money is certainly important. But this study also shows that social capital deserves a larger role in our thinking about cost-effective ways to support students, especially the most vulnerable.”
As part of the study, teachers completed a questionnaire that measured levels of social capital in their schools. They rated how much they agreed with statements like “Parent involvement supports learning here,” “Teachers in this school trust their students” and “Community involvement facilitates learning here.”
State data on instructional expenditures per student was used to measure financial capital at each school.
Finally, the researchers used student performance on state-mandated fourth-grade reading and mathematics tests to measure student learning.
Results showed that on average schools that spent more money did have better test scores than those that spent less.
“Sustained interactions over time focused on children's learning and effective teaching practice are the best way for people to build trust and build networks that are at the heart of social capital,” Goddard said.
“We need intentional effort by schools to build social capital. We can't leave it to chance.”